not ladylike

Sometimes I hate the Internet

2012-02-03T10:55:00.002-07:00

I don't understand why people can't first use their heads before they put fingers to their keyboard. Why some people can't understand that each and everything that is written on the Internet is written by a person.

A real, live human person, who has feelings and emotions and feels hurt and pain and is self-possessed and self-aware and is connected to those things and thoughts and feelings that they share on the Internet. Whether it be on their blogs, or in a forum, or even (god-forbid) on Facebook.

It shames me when I read personal attacks against other people on blogs, in forums and comment threads, and on Facebook. Attacks against someone because they posted their thoughts, feelings, and opinions in this public place. Stupid, ridiculous, name-calling. Mud-slinging. Righteous anger.

When did we forget that if we can't say something nice, we should just keep our damn mouths shut? That we should keep our condemnation to ourselves. That we should maybe take the high road and whatever was said in the first place, whatever was typed to get our thoughts inflamed and our ire up and ready to attack, it's not worth getting into a war on words for...at least probably not, based on the kinds of things I've read that seem to get the most attention and the most attacks.

Take two steps back people.

And leave it be.

I have been lucky so far, in that I command my own little tiny piece of the Internet here, and my readers are few and mostly friends.

One day I might not be so lucky.

I might type something that somebody doesn't agree with. And then I too will feel the wrath of the anonymous and vast Internet users.

We are too varied and beautiful a species to all believe in the same things. That is what makes us grand.

It is also what divides us and makes us fight with each other.

But I think we shouldn't fight against each other, but against those things that truly make our life harder, our world worse off. Those larger causes that can unite us and make us stronger.

Name calling should be left behind. Personal attacks, calling into questions someone's character, and morals, and decency. There is no place for that here. At least, there shouldn't be.

Why can't we all just get along?

And if that doesn't work, just ignore each other, like siblings have been doing successfully for generations!!

Spread the love today people, in your little corner of the internet.

Post a wonderful comment in response to a blog entry, or Facebooks status update. Be generous in your praise.

And ignore the haters...they don't need any more attention.

My Instagram Display

2012-02-03T10:16:00.000-07:00

While I might not be the most energetic of Instagrammers, I have taken my fair share. And I have thinking, loosely, about ways I can display them at home. I tried to include some in my December Daily, but as that was pretty much a "crash and burn" exercise, I was hoping to make a more successful attempt!

Since Instagram is so popular with the "hipsters" there are lots of ideas for creative displays to be found online. There were lots of neat ideas, and I almost couldn't make up my mind...

image one, image two, image three

...but then I did. And here is what I made!

Wanna see how?

First you've got to print them! I always email myself my photos, and then I save them on the computer in my Instagram folder. I'm sure there is a fancy iPhone way to do this, but I'm giving you the low-tech Lisa lowdown!

Now you're going to insert them in to a Word document. It is literally as simple as that!

And you can re-size everything right in Word. Like I said, I'm sure there is some fancy Photoshop way to do all of this, but I like my solutions cheap and quick! And easy, don't forget easy.

Now, you're going to need to print those sheets, and then cut out the pictures. No need for me to photograph this step...I hope!

Then I just glued the photos on to the paper in a giant frame I already had on hand. I got that idea from this post of Talia's. Clever girl, she is...

I used some of that sticky tack stuff on the photos. The glass pane in the frame will help keep my photos in place, and if I still want to use the print on the other side I can. Remember, it's all about re-using things in this house!

I felt the space above my fireplace needed something large and full of awesome. And what's more awesome than photos of things that I lurve?

I hope this gives you some good ideas on displaying your Instagrams, if you've jumped on that bandwagon!

P.S. Just as I had my "Month of Minis" for January, I think February will be the month for crafts and DIY projects around the house. This is number one!

Yes...I'm still wearing clothes

2012-02-02T08:00:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't posted a Fashion Un-Able here in awhile, but I have been feeling sort of uninspired in my wardrobe lately. Or rather, my outfit choices have been okay, I just want to share them in a less "look at me and what I'm wearing on a daily basis" shallow kind of way!

So here are some of my thoughts on life as you check out my January Fashion!

It was cold out this month. But there were some nice days as well. It made me thankful for cute boots and new tights. Want to know the best way to find a sharp fingernail? C'mon ladies, you know the answer...put on a pair of nylons!

I've been thinking a lot lately about being "useful". Or rather, doing things that are useful or helpful to others. Things that make sense, and that help you contribute to things.

I was feeling very useless last week. Like, I had nothing to offer to anyone. Like nothing I did mattered, or made a difference.

And just when I was at my lowest of lows, S* at the dentist's asked me if everything comes easily to me. What!?!?!

She was referring, of course, to how easily I seem to fit in the office. How everything she sees me do seems to come so easily to me.

I absolutely couldn't believe what I was hearing. And I respect this woman enough to give her an honest answer, as best as I could articulate. Which was actually completely frightening, and difficult!

I told her that something I find very difficult is meeting new people, making friends, talking with people. All that jazz.

She was surprised. She told me exactly that. I told her that in my experience people who meet me for the first time see me as something of a snob.

I'm not sure if that's the right word.

People find me quiet, standoffish, moody, weird, bitchy, angry, cynical and sarcastic (both very true) at first glance. I am not good with new people.

Maybe that's the understatement of the year.

Of the decade...

I hope that my friends can see me in a different way. I hope that once I get my bearings and once I get comfortable, I become less of all those things, and more like myself.

How stupid is it that this simple task is so impossible for me...?

There aren't many things I would change about myself, but this is definitely at the top of my list.

And I don't have many friends. Which means there aren't loads of people in my corner, rooting for me and sticking up for me.

For those of you who know you do this for me, I appreciate more than you could ever know. More than I could ever express in words or in actions.

S* has been very busy at work lately. Overwhelmed really. She told me how much she appreciated my help, and how she just wouldn't be able to get it all done without me.

That was the sunshine to my day.

Clothes may not make a person who they are, but they reflect out to the world, who they want to be and how they see themselves.

I try so hard every day, to make sure I choose things to wear that show off who I truly am.

Mostly cause I have such a crap time showing people the truth in any other way.

And that's what Fashion Un-Able is all about...this week at least!

Hope I didn't scare any of you off...

Outfit details:

Joe Fresh + Value Village + Atmosphere + Splurge

I'm a simple gal...

Lisa Tidbits

2012-02-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

Whenever I walk into the stairwell at work (downtown) I think of the Zombie apocalypse. I think any closed-in, concrete stairwell would have the same effect.

I save receipts. Wishful thinking that I will keep track of my spending and transfer all of these figures into an Excel spreadsheet that I have for just such an occasion filled with one year's worth of data from two years ago. I have two drawers full at home. *Updated: I emptied those drawers out! Yay me!

I love my computer, and I can type really fast, but I still prefer to use a pen and paper when I want to write something out.

I wash my face with a castor oil/EVOO blend and I wash my hair with a bar of soap and an apple cider vinegar rinse. But I also die my hair and wear makeup almost everyday...I'm only part hippie! Maybe a quarter. Or an eighth.

I'm a paper hoarder. I have a new rule that I am not allowed to bring home any more envelopes from work, or keep any that come here no matter how good of shape they are in!

I want to live in an 80s movie. With a good soundtrack. Silly Lisa...they all have good soundtracks!

I love oatmeal. I love a simple breakfast of bacon and eggs. And I love breakfast for dinner!

I drink far too much coffee.

My craft room and the files on my part of R's laptop are terrible cluttered. It's just my style, I guess.

I hate being late for things. Often I am so early, it defies reason.

I can't make decisions easily. And I change my mind a lot. Home decor is a difficult thing for me. As is purchasing a bottle of nail polish.

I love doing manual labour chores. Like shoveling snow and raking leaves. My father is the king of snow shoveling, so I come by this naturally.

I can't bake. Perhaps this has something to do with the point directly above...

Up-and-coming on the blog:
- The final mini album for my Month of Minis
- Some sort of clever Fashion Un-Able post
- More layouts!
- And a fabulous mixed media art project!

Show & Tell

2012-01-31T12:00:00.000-07:00

I am very excited to share with you my first TM Show & Tell! Join me tonight at the store (5218-86 street, Edmonton) from 6:00pm to 8:00pm and I'll show you how to make the tag pictured below.

And did I mention it's FREE to participate, and you don't need to bring anything but yourself?

We're going to make the background using four colours of Distress Stain...you'll be amazed at how easy this is, even though it looks so fancy!

Ribbon is Scarlett's Pick this week, so I made sure to use a couple of strands on my project as well.

And I have been told that while this picture is pretty sweet, it doesn't do justice to the colours and vibrancy of the real thing (Thanks Chan!).

I would love to see you tonight...

January Book List

2012-01-31T08:00:00.000-07:00

And so it begins! My first month towards my "52 Book for the Year" goal has gone as well as expected. I got some books for Christmas that I was happy to dig in to, and I have been looking forward to doing some thrifting for some others!

Also...I got a library card this month!! Finally!

The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson
A Games of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
Irma Voth by Miriam Toews (library)
The Reformed Vampire Support Group by Catherine Jinks (library + YA)
In and Down by Brett Alexander Savory (library)

Recommended: I am well aware of the hype surrounding the Game of Thrones series, both on TV and in book form. I may have bought into this when selecting the first book to include on my Christmas list. But it was worth it. A great book, but lots of strange names to remember...which I kind of suck at! And some gross twin brother and sister action...yucky yuck yuck! I think I am going to try and find the rest of the series at the library.

The Gargoyle was pretty good! And by a Canadian author I think. It was a story about love stories. And if you can get through all the porno talk at the beginning (the lead is a former porn star...again with the yucky), it's worth it in the end.

I also really enjoyed In and Down. What a page turner. It's like, a metaphor in book form. And very spooky too.

Fail: My first library book with my new card was Irma Voth. I got it because I loved Miriam Toews' previous books. And also it was with the "Hits to Go" books, which usually means it's popular. I didn't like it. It was too...fast. She didn't use any quotation marks when people were speaking, so there were no natural pauses in the narrative. So I could just read and read and read without being forced to pause until the next chapter came. So I found it really hard to get "caught up" in the emotions that she was trying to convey and then I just found it annoying. It was supposed to be about loss and forgiveness, but I didn't see it. I'm glad it was just a library book.

I also started reading a novel that I borrowed purely because the main character and her friends are all scrapbookers. And man-oh-man, was it terrible. Like, really bad. I made it to page 90, I struggled to make it there, and then I just couldn't go on. Some of the scrapbooking references were sort-of funny (remember the Clikit?), but the plain language was unbearable, and the romantic undertones were so forced and unromantic. And the name of the book. Get ready to reel in your gag reflex. It's called Prints Charming. Yep. You read that right. I am obviously not counting that one towards my total!

I have also started "borrowing" magazines from work. We get loads and loads of subscriptions, and after awhile they start to pile up in all the operatories, and the lunch room, and then they get tossed. So I save them from the recycle and bring them home with me! My favourites are Macleans and Scientific American. Remember, they don't count towards my total, but I thought I would mention them here.

Project AWESOME Life - Month One!

2012-01-30T08:00:00.000-07:00

I kept it up! I finished four whole weeks of Project Life! ACK!!

Week One...so proud of how this turned out! This was the best Sunday night of scrapping. I had to show it to Russ while he was reading in bed...and even he thought it was pretty cool.

Pages: one 4x6 photo album page, one trading card page.

I remember thinking how amazing this was, and how I was immediately even more committed to making sure this worked, and making sure I stuck with it. I was very organized for the week, keeping all the "stuff" that I had collected in a large page protector in the P.L. album. I printed off all my smaller photos on Sunday night and scrapbooked them right away. I had jotted down all the things we accomplished each day and tucked that sheet in the page protector as well. I made good use of all the pre-cut cards and made sure my tiny alpha stickers were close by!

***

Week Two... I really didn't take a lot of photos this week, even with the trip on the weekend.

Pages: one 3.5x5 photo album page, one 6x11 layout

I knew wanted to do a fun layout using some of the photos I took in Canmore. I think I will continue to scrapbook big events like this in my usual way.

***

Week Three...didn't get finished until Wednesday of Week Four! Oh my! Highlights of this week include two fabulous dinners with friends/family and getting a library card!
Pages: one trading card page, one 3.5x5 photo album page, and one 8.5x11 page (memorabilia)

Lucas has really been enjoying math at school (and at home) lately. His math teacher, Mrs. Gould, stopped in the hall this week and told me what a delight Lucas is in class. He gets all of the concepts right away, and even if his printing isn't the best she can read it all, which is what counts anyway. I wanted to include something school and math-related this week, so I tucked this entire adding sheet into a page protector, along with his little "Book of One More".

I've been doing lots of journaling right on the photos. All of mine are printed on very matte photo paper at home, so I don't have to use a special pen, although it is acid free. I put together a little "P.A.L." kit containing some appropriate-coloured mini alpha, label stickers and a corner rounder. This was super handy for scrapbooking at TM and at home on the DR table.
***

Week Four...
Pages: One 3.5x5 photo album page, two 6x11 layouts, one trading card page (not shown), and one 8.5x11 layout (also not shown)

I'm in the process of completely the last couple of layouts for this past week. I'll post that with February's re-cap. I am really enjoying PAL so far. My trick has been to collect everything, try to take some notes (I'm terrible at this, btw) and finish everything up on the Sunday night ending the week. And this month I did really good! Suprisingly good!!

I'm still thinking about getting some pre-made journaling cards, but I actually did okay without them this month. But they're so pretty...

It has also surprised me how creative I feel when I'm scrapping my week in its little blots and bits, adding only tiny alphas for colour. Adding in memorabilia and ephemera is right up my alley and I love how every photo has the opportunity to become a little mini layout!

My other trick is not to look at what other people are doing with their albums, aside from Nadine's because Anna is just so cute! and she and I seem to be on the same wave-length with this thing. I also like Julie F-F-B's book for the same reason. We are all keeping it simple, and keeping it about recording our moments and not letting our artsy-fartsy get in the way! Don't get me wrong, Nadine's album is beautiful, but it's also full of her life and Anna and photos and memories. That's the important stuff...not all

garn...I sure made this a doozy of a post!

thanks for sticking it out...

FYI...an update

2012-01-28T12:44:00.001-07:00

this layout on the Inspiration blog...

Chantel is off to CHA, so I "high-jacked" the blog and posted something of my own! Check out this post for some detail shots, and product list.

P.S. Did you notice the "re-arranging" and "organizing" I did on the right sidebar there? I have tried to be as specific as possible with my scrapbooking categories so you can find layouts more to your liking. You'll have to let me know if this is something useful, or interesting for you guys...

I'm still working on adding some features and re-arranging others. I don't think I'm up for a major overhaul quite yet. Once I started fiddling with the look of the blog, I discovered that I still really like the way it looks! And also, it was becoming way more of a hassle than it was worth!! I hate to think of it as giving up. More like "re-arranging my design priorities"...

So today I am procrastinating...

2012-01-27T09:56:00.001-07:00

I have a couple of must-dos today on my to-do list. Instead of getting started on them, I am "busy" on Pinterest. Did I mention I can't stand Pinterest? I find it is a waste of time and space and it's like the whole internet is getting thrown at me, in badly-tagged picture form, but there is no good search engine to help me find just what I'm looking for...and there are pictures of toys from when I was a kid, and half-naked men (and women) and crude jokes that I thought were meant only for FailBook and LOL cats...

I think mostly Pinterest just puts stress on our to-do lists, that are already so long as it is.

If I can get done the smattering of things I need to get done in a day, without having Pinterest both add to my load, and take time away from me accomplishing things, then I will be satisfied.

And yet, here I am. Wandering through the art and DIY sections of the site.

And this is the cynical me talking, in case you hadn't noticed.

I don't think anyone ever taught me: "if you don't have something nice to say, then don't say anything at all." Or they, did and the lesson didn't stick...obviously.

There's also a lesson in there that if you don't like doing something, then don't do it.

So I won't. And that is that.

I did, however, find two "projects" on Pinterest that I want to try. Actually, they are more like tips on projects that were already on my to-do list, but having a little extra help might not be so bad.

Make my own little doodle calendar...to keep track of P.A.L. goings-on.

Source: acreativemint.typepad.com via Agne on Pinterest

Terrariums!! This excites me to no end...

Source: brittanyanddylan.blogspot.com via Sabrina on Pinterest

Oh my...I found something nice to say about Pinterest. I will also say that I fully admire and am in awe of those ladies who use Pinterest only for good, and get loads of great ideas from it and actually put those to use! Those ladies either deserve some mad props, or a good shake...the jury is still out on that one.

Now if only I could find some useful small-space kitchen organization tips, instead of just beautiful pictures of *beautiful *giant, *perfect, *white, *amazing, *expensive kitchens.

There my mouth goes again...I really need to keep it in check! But that's another blog post entirely!

p.s. in case you haven't figured it out, there will be no mini album this week. I am going to be busy completing an apron for the Silent Auction at Wendy's Crop (at TM this weekend). This is at the top of the list. Followed closely behind by return library material and attend Lucas' assembly. I'm planning to finish off the month of minis next week!

Disappearing Blog

2012-01-26T08:00:00.000-07:00

Sorry about my "missing blog" yesterday. I am trying to finish up this update, but I encountered some html issues (as per usual) that came as a bit of a surprise, 'cause I thought I had worked them all out and the things I am trying to accomplish are pretty straight forward...I guess not, eh?!!?!?!

But I found a whole new slew of how-to videos and tutorials, so hopefully I will have things running more smoothly for the final update.

You're stuck with the old look for just a little while longer!

Wish me Luck! I definitely need it!!

New Favourites

2012-01-25T14:36:00.003-07:00

Boots + Silver Tiered Tray

Found at the mall and Value Village respectively.

Oh My Julie F-F-B!

2012-01-24T08:00:00.000-07:00

You have done it...you have made the top of my "Must Haves" list for CHA 2012.

You have to see these!! Her new stencils are my favourite things ever. Like, of all time.

Okay...maybe that goes a bit too far. But honestly. She just blows my mind with her creativity and her designs every time. She is my go-to blog when I just need some great inspiration, eye candy and thoughtful words. She is a special soul, that one.

With these images in my mind I set to work with some of older stencils by Crafter's Workshop...Enjoy!

This is another one of my "using up old product" layouts. Most of this stuff isn't even that old...I think the chipboard letters are the oldest at a couple of years. I never really used them, but now I think I love them!!

P.S. I featured this layout on the TM Inspiration Blog last Friday. Check it out here.

Budget Smudget

2012-01-23T08:00:00.000-07:00

Sometimes when you see something you want, you just gots to grab it! And while I know that this was a complete impulse buy, and a shameful one at that, I just had to share.

The new My Mind's Eye is available for pre-order on the TM Store...can you say "be still my heart"?

I know this stuff disappears as soon as it is out of the box, so I thought I could at least reserve some of my favourites.

Like...this paper, and this one too. And these label stickers (and these, these and these too). Because you never can have enough cute label stickers!

And don't forget some rhinestones. I like bling just as much as the next girl!

But don't feel left out! You too can take advantage of all this pre-order goodness! Just wander on over to the TM Online Store...you'll be happy you made the trip!

And just to show that I "need" and "deserve" these new goodies, I completed a layout using a bunch of my "old" stuff...Enjoy!

Do you recognize all the old stuff? I have this strange (and completely useful) ability to tell you the brand name of most scrapbooking stuff. And if I don't recognize it, I can give you a pretty accurate guess, or tell you which brand it reminds me of. I am a complete scrapbook snob, wouldn't you say?

See...I did find some time to scrapbook! Yay me! What did you do this weekend??

p.s. I featured this layout on the TM Inspiration blog on Friday. Check it out here.

Little Words Mini

2012-01-20T10:48:00.001-07:00

I made a bunch of albums like this for my friends years ago, including an extra one for myself. That album has sat around collecting dust in my studio since then. Sad, I know.

This week I made a sweet new little word album, filling it with photos and sentiments and hoping that this inspires me to finish the one I started so long ago!

Cover: Patterned paper, cut to the same size as the rest of the album pages.

Binding: Decorative tape...each page is taped to one another, with one final piece along the spine.

Size: 2.5" by 5.0"

And here are some screen shots and a little write up to help you make your own!!

I made the backbone of this album using MS Word. I don't own Photoshop or any other fancy editing software, so I make due! And it works just fine thanks, and I'm not spending a tonne of time messing with a bunch of settings trying to make it "perfect"!

And I've made it even easier myself by making a custom LABEL sheet. This makes sure all of my "pages" are the same size and easy to add whatever words I want. Save the label sheet and use it again and again to make all kinds of different mini albums!

To do this, click on "Mailings" in the top menu, then "Labels". On the new screen that pops up, select "Options" and then "New Label" to create your custom sized album. I changed all those numbers you see below to best fit my paper and the kind of album I wanted. You might have to fiddle around with page size (and orientation), and do some really basic math to make sure you get everything to fit correctly. Once you have something you like, select "OK" and then "New Document". This will give you a new sheet of "labels" that you can start editing. Don't forget to save it somewhere you will be able to find it again!

See those borders? You can change their look so they actually print, thereby making it much easier to cut in the right spot after you have printed the sheet. I'm all about the "easy" this week!!

I printed it on to some random white paper I found in my basement. And I use the word "white" loosely!

I printed all of my photos at home, sized 3x5. I lined them up on the opposing pages, and cut off the excess after I had glued them down.

Don't forget to round all of your corners...it looks so much more professional. HA!

If you really wanted to customize the look of your album, you could print your words in colour or in a really funky font! I love plain old black Century Gothic, so that's what I chose.

I hope you enjoyed my mini this week...sorry there is no video! HA!

Find the time

2012-01-19T16:34:00.001-07:00

I have high hopes for myself at the end of this week, in getting some scrapbooking done. Russ' brother and his "significant other" are coming over for a games night tomorrow, and we are headed to a Chinese New Year party on Saturday night (if we can find a babysitter!) so while I'm not precisely sure when this is going to happen, it is going to happen gosh darn it!

As inspiration, I am going to keep in mind this layout that I finished this afternoon. It only took me about 15 minutes and started off absolutely hideous! It is my first layout addition to my PL book.

I love the versatility that is built into the Project Life idea. You can scrapbook in the traditional sense and add it right into your book as needed. You can add ephemera, memorabilia, and bits and pieces of everyday life (which I love cause I totally collect all that crap!). You can continue to scrapbook special moments, or keep things simple with words and photos. You can tailor it to whatever style suits you, and accommodate a tonne of photos, or a smattering here and there.

I have decided to add the word "awesome" to my PL moniker...hence...

It's terrible, but it only took me about 45 seconds to make, and I think it kind of sums up my colour/shape love right now. This will give you a look into the look of my near-future blog renovation! Excited!?!? Want to do it for me!?!?!?

My Minis

2012-01-19T08:00:00.000-07:00

Here's a question I imagine I might get a lot if people asked me questions: where do you store all the mini albums you make?

I keep them right out in the open in my living room...and this isn't even close to half the albums I have. I have a whole box of them in my craft room. The ones I keep out are my camping albums, the ones I have done for Lucas and some more recent ones. Any of the more obscure-themed ones I keep upstairs to go through when I need a little personal inspiration.

Stay tuned for my Mini of the Week! It's coming up on Friday.

What to do, what to do...

2012-01-18T08:30:00.000-07:00

Now that January is in full swing, and all of my goals are blogged, and my Xmas stuff put away, I find I have Blogger's Block.

I am trying to find some great video tutorials that will help me renovate my blog. But I haven't really done much, other than some basic planning.

I have no desire (or cash-money) to do any "renovations" around the house, and I haven't really changed anything up lately, or tackled any DIY projects. Anything that's blog-worthy at least.

I am feeling very disconnected from my wardrobe lately, due in large part to the weight that I am losing (and gaining back!?) and the strange shape my body is in. I have zero desire to take any Fashion Un-Able pictures to share here with you, and nothing new or interesting to share anyway.

My scrapbooking right now is concentrated on Project Life, January Minis and finishing up some 2011 pages. My art is centred around my goals journal and my pencil crayons. Nothing too promising there.

My life is moving forwards and onward, and the lessons I have learned in the past month won't stand up to scrutiny on this blog.

I am drinking lots of coffee. I am looking for a new job. I am eating and sleeping and "doing" in the same patterns I have always had.

That is to say, I am currently kind of "blogger-boring".

So today, I am just going to leave you with this...

Dang it's Cold Out!!

2012-01-17T11:22:00.000-07:00

I just couldn't bring myself to go to work today. Drive in the cold, walk in the cold, sit in the cold office. No thanks! Walking Lucas to school was so painful...it is on days like today that I feel most sorry for my mailman. He was positively frosty by the time he made it to my house, and I am early on in his route. Yikes!

I have made a substantial to-do list for this afternoon, which includes things like:
- type up meeting minutes (check!)
- put away laundry and do another load
- work on this week's mini album (check!)
- have a shower and get dressed

If I don't write it down, I might forget...

Stay warm today!

p.s. my glasses came today and they are not what I expected. back to the drawing board...

Love Envelopes

2012-01-13T08:00:00.000-07:00

Last year I "borrowed" a box of useless envelopes from work in the hopes of turning them all into fun little minis! I made my 10-10-10 using three of them, and it was so easy, and each page has a little pocket, and there are windows...and...well....I was inspired to do more!

So here we go...

My 10-10-10 Album

And my Halloween mini I did up for display at TM, using Gov't of Canada envelopes.

And my January mini for this week...

Binding: Sheer, iridescent ribbon stitched on
Cover: The first envelope (no additional cover)
Size: about 3" by 4" (one standard letter envelope folded in half)

I decided to do a little "Christmas Highlights" album, as I normally never scrapbook any Xmas photos! I went through my sad tiny pile of Christmas papers and found a bunch of old KI Memories stuff to use, in addition to some other random Xmas papers and stickers I've collected over the years.

And here is my technique video detailing how I stitched my envelopes together, followed by the video of me stitching the binding on...badly. Enjoy...if you dare.

Stitching Envelopes Together from Lisa Kercher on Vimeo.

Lisa's Project Life

2012-01-12T08:00:00.001-07:00

Here's some back story. I have loads and loads of supplies in my scrapbooking room. I don't need to buy any more. I am completely unorganized, therefore the supplies are also completely unorganized. I already spend a lot more money than I want to on this hobby. I feel environmentally-guilty about buying new supplies all the time. I don't take a tonne of photos, but I take my fair share. I enjoy the creative process of scrapbooking. I talk about Becky Higgin's Project Life on the blog often enough to know that I think it is a good idea. I should just get on with things already.

I have gone and done it...finally! After talking the talk for many months, I am finally walking the walk! I spent some time in my studio last week, and in my journals and have decided that I need to eliminate the stress and obligation I sometimes feel when I sit down to scrapbook. Part of that comes from organizing my supplies and cleaning out my space. And part of that comes from documenting my memories in the simplest, most cost-effective and most environmentally friendly way I can find!

Seeing what people have created for their Project Life binders, and what I half-created for my WITL (still not finished...I'm a bad girl...) I already knew what I wanted to do, and how I wanted to make this project my own. I just didn't have the guts or the commitment to sit down and prepare and make my supplies fit this project.

Until today...well, New Year's Eve to be more precise. I pulled out a bunch of old paper and started cutting.

I'm using some old (old/second hand) 4x6 photo pages, my favourite 3.5 x 5 ones from the Container Store and those little trading card protectors (from the Dollar store). I am trying to make this as easy for me as possible, because as we all know, I am terrible at the completion of a task! I have learned a lot of lessons from my attempt at a December Daily (which I hated) and know that I need to make this super, stupidly prepared, so I can just add things in and call it a day.

And so far, I have actually added some photos and journaling. It's only been a week though, and usually I lose interest in any long-term project after about a week. Oh oh. So I will be sure to keep you apprised of my progress and show off some more of my version of Project Life as I get more done. Like so...

I have been salivating over some tags at Elle's Studio for awhile and I think I am going to bite the budget next month and pick up a couple on my wish list. I know I can make my own little tags and accessories, but something about having everything ready-to-go just makes things much less stressful. When I get a chance to make some of my own, I definitely will. Having some on hand just in case makes me breathe a little sigh of relief!

I'm also looking to my more organized and clever friends Nadine & Ginger for inspiration and a kick in the pants. They are also going ahead with Project Life this year, each in their own special way! And also, I have decided I don't like the moniker "Project Life" and will have to devise my own more awesome name for this. Possible including the word "Awesome" in it...I'm just saying...

Update: Long before this post...well...posts I will have finished the first week of my Project Life (new name still YTBD). You read that right: finished. I am probably going to post updates here only once a month, unless I am really strapped for posts! Don't want to overwhelm you guys or anything. Or is it too late for that?

2012 Goal #4

2012-01-11T08:00:00.000-07:00

Look to the Sky...

I'm busy finding websites to browse, and am looking for a good book to buy. I am waiting for a cloudless night to pull out a lawn chair, dig out Russel's binoculars and do some stargazing!

Scrapbooking in the New Year

2012-01-10T12:00:00.000-07:00

I finally sat down to really push through my "scrapper's block" the other day. It took a lot of false starts on the first page before I had something that I was satisfied with, but once I finished it I was quite happy with the results and ready for the next layout.

On Saturday I finished the two layouts pictured below, and a whole bunch from my WITL-August at the crop on Friday. I kept the momentum going on Sunday and got a good chunk of my mini for this week done.

Layout #1...photographs from Veronica's wedding in Mexico. I added some splashes of paint and ink, and used a Balzer Designs stencil on the background (and some Chipped Sapphire Distress Ink). And I've started sewing on my layouts again. My machine is giving me a hard time, but I'm trying to work through it.

Layout #2...at the Tulum ruins in Mexico. I've also been going back through my old papers, finding some gems while I'm in there. The background here is old Basic Grey (still one of my favourite lines ever).

I finished a third layout on the weekend...I posted it on Flickr. Nothing like a Creative Type challenge to get the creative juices flowing.

I'm going to print up the last of my 2011 photos, scrapbook those guys as per usual, and then move on to something new for 2012...that post is coming up on the 12th!

Enjoy the rest of your Tuesday...

purchased...

2012-01-10T08:00:00.000-07:00

two new-to-me pairs of vintage eyeglasses.

I am terrible at making important purchasing decisions like this. I hum and haw and hum some more. It takes me forever. And ever. But I finally narrowed down the dozen open tabs in my browser to these two beauties.

I can't wait till they get here! I really needed a change.

Found in this shop.

2012 Goal #3

2012-01-09T08:00:00.000-07:00

One of the changes I want to make in my life is to meet up with friends more often. It seems nowadays that the only way I keep in touch is by stalking someone on Facebook! And that is just not good enough. So starting next week I am going to try and go on one coffee date every couple of weeks!

Goal: "Keep in Touch"
Particulars: Meet up with one lucky lady (or gentleman) every couple of weeks - schedule permitting - for a coffee date. I have compiled a list of people I want to see, which I am not going to include here. Chat and catch up.
Deadline: Ongoing!

I have decided to include my two best friends in this as well, and invite my boys on some coffee dates. Because I can always use a little extra love from these guys!

And speaking of Facebook, I found this interesting article last month, posted on Facebook of all places. The author details how Facebook is making us more miserable, more anxious about our jobs and personal lives, cutting into our work day, fragmenting our time spent doing other things, and wreaking havoc on our ability to make and maintain personal connections with living, breathing human beings. Most of the comments were from users who had stopped using Facebook and had no regrets. I am rarely on Facebook nowadays, but do enjoy the occasional bump into people that I wouldn't normally interact with. Is Facebook inherently evil? No. But does it have the tendency to exacerbate bad behavior in otherwise decent people? Yep...for the most part.

In closing: Facebook less. Coffee dates yes!

Also, you might be getting an email within the next year requesting your presence at a coffee house of your choosing to help Lisa accomplish this goal! Be a dear and pick somewhere with decent parking...

p.s. what happens when you want to start a new blog but someone has already used the web address you wanted? I am stalling out...clever failing...wit evaporating...sarcasm sign dropping...

Found!

2012-01-08T09:00:00.000-07:00

This video just about made my Friday. I love this song, and I love what this group has done with it! Watch!! You won't be disappointed!

p.s. Creating art everyday means I am going to start posting to her "Art Journal Everyday" series. Here's a link to her first post of the year. Can you spot my link?

January Mini...Week One

2012-01-06T11:30:00.000-07:00

Binding: simple (mismatched) binder rings

Cover: cardboard with pattern paper stitched on front and back covers.

Size: 5x7 (covers are slightly larger, maybe 6x8)

I'm adding some more pages as I go with the same theme. The theme is: random Lisa observations. A lot of my minis have that theme!

And here is my video "tutorial" on getting the most out of a 12x12 sheet of paper while making this size of a mini. It's only about three minutes and Lucas has a cameo!

Cutting Paper 5x7 from Lisa Kercher on Vimeo.

Also, what on earth is with that starting screen image!?

January is...

2012-01-05T08:00:00.000-07:00

the month for mini albums! I have made a promise to myself to complete one mini album each week for the entire month of January. I already have a good start on this week's and will be posting the finished product with a little video tutorial on Friday.

Each week I will feature a different style of mini book, and will give you some video tips on completing one for yourself! I learned from the disaster that was my December Daily that while I love completing mini books, I also hate being overwhelmed and I always want to include too much! I also can't do a little at a time and expect to keep up. I need to sit down, have everything ready to go in front of me, and just get it all done in a couple of sittings.

Oh, and they need to be small! Nothing like a 30 page mini book to really shake your faith in humanity.

So all of my books will be nice and small and neat. Just my style.

Nothing like this monstrosity...

In other news...I'm on track for posting my 2012 goals here, and I have a little "blog renovation" in mind that I want to accomplish before the end of next week. Wish me luck!

2012 looks good on you!

2012 Goal #2

2012-01-04T08:00:00.000-07:00

Read 52 Books!

I accomplished this last year and it felt so good, so I thought I would add it to the list again. This post from early 2011 details some of my guidelines for this goal. I was basing all of this on another blogger's own goal for herself. Thanks to my own personal success on this, I have decided to tailor-make my own rules for myself this year. Feel free to play along, or to make your own reading challenge!

Lisa's 52 Books in 2012 Guidelines

1. Read at your own pace. There is no minimum per month.

2. At least 15 books should be borrowed from the library.

3. At least 20 books should be purchased second-hand, or borrowed from other readers.

4. Re-reads count. E-books count, because they are still books...duh!

5. Graphic novels count towards the total, but comic books and magazines don't.

I will be documenting all the books I read each month in a similar fashion to how I did it last year. I will also document all the comic books and magazines I read, just for fun as they won't count towards my final total. I think a goal of "reading more" should include all forms of reading. I have read some Scientific American articles that are full of more information than some novels!!

I hope some of you join me in adding "read more" to your list of goals for the year. It really was rewarding to look back through my list of books last year and see all that I had accomplished. Reading is important to me, and I would love to be able to inspire others to bring more reading in to their lives!

2012 Goal #1

2012-01-03T08:00:00.000-07:00

Create ART everyday.

no rules. no right or wrong supplies. no pressure.

Progress!

2012-01-02T08:00:00.000-07:00

Remember this post? In it I suggested some "goals" for myself, ones that were easily within reach. Ones that I could almost surely cross off sooner rather than later.

Let's see how things went...
#1. Wedding photo...so don't laugh, but I got married before everyone and their Mom had a digital camera. Yikes! This means that I don't have digital copies of my wedding photos. Oh well. I am in the process of totally cleaning up and cleaning out my studio, so this one is on the waiting list. I thought I would at least post something here to give you an idea of what I'm talking about...this photo hangs on my LR wall.

#2. Red lipstick. Check!

#3. Empire State of Mind. This one I did not manage to accomplish. I guess I just wasn't in the right state of mind...ha!? I have memorized all the words to Gotye's "Somebody That I Used to Know" which is a song much more to my liking, so, we're all good here!

And on to the "serious" ones...
#1. Join a gym. Check...December 10th marked a trip to Spa Lady with Kirsten that ended with a Club membership in hand and a new Zumba class!

#2. Wheat free baking. I made peanut butter cookies with only three ingredients: one cup PB, one cup sugar and one egg. They were heavenly! And they disappeared very quickly.

#3. My life! Well, I applied for a new job and if I don't get it I will have to head back to the drawing board. I have been "busy" thinking on this topic this week, writing out some goals and aspirations I have for the next year and what I want to see for myself.

Has anybody else out there been thinking on their "New Year's Resolutions" and Goals for the coming year?

Layouts of the Year Part Two

2011-12-30T08:00:00.000-07:00

July...

August...I did a lot of good scrapping in August, but this one seems to be the winner. I know that it was a favourite at the store as well. This is my first attempt at using my Copic doodles on a page!

September...This was the month I posted all my TM Kit layouts, so it was kind of layout overload!! But I think I love this one the most, and it had nothing at all to do with my kit.

October...All of my Jasper trip layouts were posted this month, and I was trying to use up some older supplies. I was still obsessed with inks and stencils, but I completed some beautiful ink-less pages this month as well. I love the colours and the lines in this one, but I really think the photos make this layout.

November...this month I accepted a challenge, and I think the resulting page is pretty sweet. I have also been using my copic doodle downloadables a lot!

December...I only posted two layouts this month! And one of them was scheduled for while I was away!! It's the winner.

And that is the end of my year in review. I have no grand plans or schemes or goals related to scrapbooking for 2012. No number of pages, or quantity of mini albums I want to complete. I have actually been falling out of love with my favourite hobby in the last couple of months or so. Perhaps my goal should be either to re-affirm my love for this craft, or move away from it entirely. More thoughts on this to come...

December Book List

2011-12-29T20:30:00.000-07:00

I know I am a couple of days early to post this, but I have done it! I have read my 52 books!! I even beat it by one...which just goes to show that not only was it tough to make it to 52, it was nigh impossible to beat it by more than that! I spent most of today snuggling with a sick little boy, and with my one free hand I finished the one extra.

Leviathan Wakes by "James S.A. Corey"
Glass Boys by Nicole Lundrigan
Sense & Sensibility & Sea Monsters by Jane Austen & Ben H. Winters

Recommended: I loved all the books this month. Leviathan Wakes was amazing in its scope and topic: humans colonizing space! Glass Boys was so beautifully written, even if its topic was disturbing. And Sense & Sensibility & Sea Monsters was just as good, if not better than its precursor, Pride & Prejudice & Zombies, which I have learned is coming out in movie-form in a couple of years.

I absolutely loved this challenge, and I want to attempt it again next year, with some additions to the list of "rules". I'm preparing a post for that purpose in January. Until then...Happy Reading!

Layouts of the Year

2011-12-28T08:00:00.000-07:00

I remember this being a popular post last year around this time with other bloggers. And it sounds like fun to me! going back through my posts from the year and choosing my favourite layouts! Here goes...I have limited it to one per month to remove the "I go crazy" possibility!

January...this one I did up in response to all the extra pictures I accidentally ordered for my Xmas cards! I love how the ink looks, the border on the side, all the circles, the title and the colours.

February...this one was hard to pick, as evidently I was a busy scrapper this month and there were lots of layouts to choose from! I was also (apparently) really jonesing on the grid look and alternately, the messy, hand-stitching look as well! I think the reason I love this one so much is that it is one of very few Christmas layouts for me, and the background started out as scrap paper!

March...there weren't a lot to choose from! Love the watercolour circle, the stitching and the colours!

April...Can you believe I didn't post any scrapbooking layouts this month! What the!?!? But I found a great mini from the archives.

May...I love the rose stencil showing through the middle. I love the top and bottom heavy structure. I love the memories of this fun day!

June...looking bad at this now, it seems weird that I (accidentally) matched the colours of the page to Jacob's shirt sort of perfectly. Weird.

July...will come in another post! Don't want to overwhelm you, now do I?

Christmas Break

2011-12-20T08:00:00.000-07:00

I think I'm going to start my Christmas blog break a little early. But first, I'll give you a little pre-Christmas update!

The Christmas concert was a success! Lucas didn't get upset or sad or anxious. He even sang one line of one song and sort of did the little dance! His class sang two songs, and he got to wear his slippers and reindeer antlers. Because he sometimes has issues with lots of noises, his teacher keeps a pair of large headphones in the classroom. For tonight, she taped the reindeer antlers right to the headphones! They kept falling off of his head, so Lucas spent most of the concert trying to fix them. It was the cutest thing!!

In Friday night I convinced the boys to go see the lights at the Legislature. Lucas wasn't too keen to go, but I let him know there would be snow and Christmas lights, so he was happy. It was chilly and getting late, so we didn't hang out for too long.

On Saturday we attended the official Good Family Christmas party out at my aunt and uncles. They have a "farm" just outside of Beaumont, and every year Uncle Mike hooks up the horses to the sleigh and takes the big kids and little kids on a hay ride! There was barely any snow this year, so it was a wagon ride instead.

And tonight, I finally finished decorating the tree! Lucas put his two McQueen ornaments on, and I did the rest. As I was decorating it, I was remembering the stories behind each ornament and when Russ & I bought the ribbon, and all the good stuff I love about Christmas. I'm thinking that would be a nice addition to my December Daily!

I'm really enjoying reading Ginger's blog and all she has done in her December Daily album. I've been trying really hard to keep up with keeping track of all the things going on this month. We haven't been doing a lot of Christmas-related things, but we have been keeping busy enough. It will be nice to look through in the coming years. I still wish I could start some new family traditions, but the boys just don't seem to care, so it's really hard for me to care.

Christmas is only a few days away, and I still have some last minute gifts to buy (Russel...) and then wrap. But I plan on enjoying the time off and taking a nice break before getting back to things in the New Year. There will be lots of time for setting goals and making plans next week!

So Merry Christmas! I'll see you in a week or so!!

Behind the Scenes

2011-12-19T08:00:00.000-07:00

I love taking "behind the scenes" photos of our "Annual Family Photo Shoot". Sometimes these guys are the ones that truly capture the memories and moments of that day. Mom getting the camera set up and doing some test shots. Lucas running around somewhere else, me sitting and smiling for those test shots!

I've said it before and I'll say it again: sometimes those photos that just didn't turn out right make the best addition to your layout! I stuck a blurry photo of the leaves behind the title. I think it balances the photo on the right and creates a great backdrop for the title. And it gives me a little reminder about the weather and the type of day it was back then!

Technique Tip: try stamping on patterned paper like I did here with the Jenni Bowlin starburst on American Crafts paper. It's a pretty cool look.

Speaking of behind the scenes, I thought I would give you a taste of my "photo booth" set up at home. Right now the only place inside my house with good light and easy access is this spot right in front of the sliding doors.

The white paper is from a super large colouring book and not only makes for a nice background, but it also does a good job of reflecting white back on to the pages to really brighten them up. Winter light is so hard for me to take good photos, with true colour. But this is the best setup I've come across so far, and it works great in the summer as well! And it's easy to set up and tear down!!

Our Simple Stories

2011-12-16T11:27:00.004-07:00

It feels so good to get back to creating! I have finished the last of my Christmas cards (going out to some Mexico friends today) and while I promised myself I would do dishes and light the tree today and I making a liar out of me by tackling my latest mini album kit!

Presenting the Simple Stories Mini Album

This time I've filled the album with earth tones and warm reds. There are a lot of cozy textures going on, but the pages are simple enough that any theme is workable. I think this album would go great with wedding or Christmas photos as well! I've even given you some envelopes for more photos or journaling. And if I'm any judge of scrapbooker-photographers, I know the twenty layouts might not be enough!!

The album is designed and hand-made by me! It's quite a beauty, if I do say so myself, and the perfect Christmas present for my Mom...shhh...don't tell her! HA HA...Hi Mom!! These should be in store this weekend, and at $25 are the perfect Christmas present for lots of Moms & Grandmas out there!

The Day-To-Day

2011-12-14T15:00:00.003-07:00

Things I was doing today:
- Grocery shopping...plus I knocked a few Christmas presents off my list at Superstore!
- Christmas card mailing (still only almost done)
- Christmas present shopping at Indigo (yay!) and Bath & Body Works...that store makes my head hurt

- Stocking stuffer purchasing at Shoppers Drug Mart. Have you noticed how many drink choices you have now? And all I wanted was a simple iced tea...

Things I would rather be doing today...

Lucas' Christmas concert at school is tonight. It's hard to tell if he is excited or not...I know Grandma is!

Sartorial Splendor

2011-12-13T08:00:00.000-07:00

This dress was a sweet pre-Mexico Superstore purchase. I knew I would need some nice dresses for the evenings, and all of their sundresses were on sale! And I fit the medium!! EEK! The red is much more vibrant than the photos show. I hate taking pictures in the winter...I never get any good light coming in to the house during the day, and when I get home from work it's already dark. Ho hum...

The polka dot tights weren't necessary for Mexico...they were just necessary.

"this Sweetness will not be concerned with me"

2011-12-12T09:12:00.001-07:00

I haven't done much in the way of "creative thinking" this past week, but I have been busy...

Friday night: worked the crop with Victoria. "Hilarious" photo booth antics were had. I'll have to share that pic of Vi and I!

Saturday: Christmas shopping. I set foot in a Tim's for the first time in a long time. Picked up the photos for my Christmas cards and wrote a caption on the back of each one...that's 60 pics!

Sunday: Baby shower for some good friends + a little scrambling to get the gift finished that morning!! Worked the last night of the Christmas crop with Jill this time.

I've been working on my Christmas cards, one step at a time. I'm still tracking down some addresses, and finishing up the letter, but I hope to have them in the mail before Wednesday! I actually made a bunch of cards this year! Gasp!! And I love them, and should have kept at least one for myself. I handmade some paper using my Julie Fei-Fan Balzer stencils and an assortment of Distress Stains and spray inks. The paper is "wet media" paper (read: watercolour),so it holds up to all the wet inks very very well.

Then I snipped these big sheets up and stuck the "squares" on to some old paper that was on its way to the donation bin at TM! The bling and "Merry Christmas" banner was Jill's idea...thank goodness for her!

Speaking of Jill, she & I are headed to Zumba at Spa Lady tonight. My legs are still sore from the session with Kirsten on Saturday morning, but it's a good sore (wait, is that even possible?!?!?).

I would love to start scrapbooking my tiny amount of Mexico photos, but I might have to wait until the tree is up and I have a few more Christmas presents taken care of. I feel so behind this year, way more than usual. It's probably just because I was out of town for the start of the month. I'm not worried, because I am used to a pretty low key Christmas. Lucas is upset that I never set up his advent calendar! Oops! Maybe I'll buy some gummies and fill up the rest with those!

P.S. Do you ever just leave a blog post as a draft for a week or so and then totally change your mind and are so glad you left it as a draft and didn't hit publish? Have you ever wished you had just hit publish instead and let things come out in the wash...? The art journal is going to get quite a work out this week.

More Instagram Goodies

2011-12-09T15:00:00.001-07:00

Lucas is home sick from school this afternoon, so I am blogging in the darkness of the living room in hopes that he will rest. This also means that I am being less productive than I had hoped! Oh well.

I did get some "work" done at TM this morning, in between snuggles with this sweetheart!

She "shared" two oranges and a banana with me.

And this is what I was working on...a new mini album kit! The layouts are pretty much done now. I'm just working on instructions and the cover.

It's slow going with the tiny foot on my keyboard. That's Lucas for ya! If you are sharing the same couch with him you need to be prepared for some closeness!

p.s. Do you ever want to tell the Universe to just bugger off and mind it's own business?

December Daily...

2011-12-09T08:00:00.000-07:00

Here are some of my pages so far. So far the theme is "random-esque" and doesn't appear - at first glance - to be a Christmas-related project at all. I just don't do Christmas very well. I went through my paper stash and pulled scraps that were large enough, and punched some holes. The "dividers" are Hambly transparencies, and I think I got that idea from Ali E herself.

I usually just post these Instagrams to Facebook, but maybe I'll resurrect my Twitter account to share them there.

And since I feel that Dec Daily is "tutorialed" to death online, I will just leave it at this. Maybe I'll share more pages as they come, or all at once at the end of the month. Keep me honest people, and feel free to post reminders, friendly or otherwise, that I should be working on this semi-daily!! At least!!

Out in the World

2011-12-08T10:31:00.001-07:00

Here are some fun things that are happening out there in the world in the next little bit:

Total Lunar Eclipse on Saturday, December 10. Be up super early Saturday morning for a glimpse of the red, dog-bitten moon as it sets. In Edmonton we probably won't be able to see much past the full eclipse, but if you are tuning in from BC or Alaska, set your alarms! I'm going to try and get my arse out of bed to check it out. Anyone want to join me?? Or is that a no...

Total Lunar Eclipse 08-28-07. Credit: Conrad Jung

Look to the skies again on December 13, 14 and 15 as the Geminid meteor shower reaches its peak. Grab a blanket and head outside any time after 9pm. The moon will be bright those nights, so you won't see as many as you might in other years.

Locally, Metro Cinema has some great shows for us again this month, including Die Hard 2 showing on December 21st. And the Butterdome Craft Show is up and running this weekend. Super locally, TM is doing their Christmas Crop over the weekend, which means yours truly is putting in some time there.

I miss this blog I used to read, the edmontonian. They would always post a huge list of things going on around town. Now where am I supposed to get all my E-town news in one place!?!? Argh!

New Music: Thanks to Dan Destroyer for recommending the soundtrack for The Darjeeling Limited. I downloaded it before bed last night, and absolutely LOVE IT! Also, I was surprised by a song playing on the radio this morning. It seemed sort of out-of-character for the regular Sonic fare I hear on the way to work (or don't hear, cause I usually put it on XMU). Check out Somebody That I Used to Know by Gotye. I am going to try and find it on the web to download later today.

Also, is it too ridiculous to buy myself a Christmas present? Just one. Maybe two. If I don't get a record player for Christmas I might just cry. Santa? I've been really good this year. Pretty please...

p.s. I have lots of post ideas for the next little bit. I'm trying to figure out what kinds of things I want to focus on in the next little bit, some different topics and some of the same. If you have any suggestions for things you would like to see, or would like for me to continue with, shout it all out!

Mexico De-briefing

2011-12-07T09:12:00.001-07:00

Here are some photos from our trip. This first one is just the beach outside our hotel. The huts in the centre of the photo are for massages, and the one off on the right is the bar!

This is at one of the adjoining resorts. We stayed in the Palace, so we were able to wander anywhere we wanted. There were a lot of pools!

The building way behind me is our main building. We're not even halfway down the beach.

At XPLOR, this is one of the zip-line towers. We had a great time there!

At the Agave restaurant at the Maya Beach hotel. I ate so much pico, guac and chips that week!

Happy wedding day! The weather was perfect, the location, and the view was spectacular! And Veronica looked gorgeous and so happy!!

We ate our dinner in the same area in which the ceremony took place. It was pretty romantic, all the palm trees covered in light. There were these sweet carved cantaloupes in the centre of all the tables, with a candle inside. At our table: Dan, Lisa, Russ, Lisa, Ryan. Yes, there were two of us awesome Lisas at the wedding...and two Ryans as well!

There was a lot of time between the ceremony and the reception so we got in some more beach time, and R & I played some strange mini golf.

Our second excursion was to Tulum. Nice ruins, a great ocean view, but we were super pressed for time so we kind of just ran through it!

Dan, Russ & Morna. We ended up spending a lot of time with these two both together and separately. And like I keep saying, the best part of this trip was definitely the company!

The second part of this excursion was to Xel-Ha, which is a huge natural aquarium. You get a snorkel set, and just go at it! It was so much fun! I wish we had more time there.

There was an all-included buffet and beverage station at this excursion as well. Dan & I enjoyed some cervesas in the setting sun.

And that is all! We had such a great time. All of Alexander's friends are so similar to Russ & I, and we all got along well together! Dan & I even rocked the casbah with a little karaoke on Saturday night! We performed the only English songs of the evening! HA!

Today I am (supposed to be) working on laundry, dishes, and all those scrapbooking things on my plate. But what I really want is a venti Americano and a maid!

I'm Back!!

2011-12-06T10:15:00.001-07:00

And better than ever! Well, maybe not better, but more tanned and relaxed, that's for darn sure! We had the best time in Mexico and got to hang out with some very special people all week! We did a couple of fun excursions, wandered through some Mayan ruins, and spent a lot of time at the pool, at the beach and at the buffet.

I will have photos soon...I promise. I didn't take many, but there were a couple of camera-crazies on the trip (like I usually am) and I have been told we will be getting copies of everyone's pics later.

I am feeling renewed and energized and anxious to get my life back on track and headed toward something more positive and rewarding for me. I have been thinking a lot in the last couple of months that my life is not where I want it to be. I have a lot of wonderful things going for me, a lot of things to be thankful for, but something is missing. And the problem is, I have no idea what that thing is!! I might be backing off the blog for a little bit, while I get things sorted, but except some "emo-esque" posts in the next little bit while I try to figure things out in my own special way.

In the meantime, I will be working away on another mini album kit for the store, my December Daily and a baby shower present for a good friend of mine. Speaking of which, I should maybe RSVP to that shower soon...oops! If my head wasn't attached... Oh! And Christmas cards need to go out. Better start tracking down some addresses!

Goals!

2011-12-02T08:00:00.000-07:00

Three Fun Goals...
#1. Print a photo of Russel & I on our wedding day, frame it and hang it in my studio.

#2. Wear red lipstick more often! People totally get the "flirt" on with you when you wear red lipstick...even if your hair had day-two bedhead status!!

#3. Learn all the words to "Empire State of Mind" by JayZ.

Three Serious Goals...
#1. Join a gym.

#2. Make one wheat-free baked good...in my own kitchen! Ack!!

#3. Figure out what I want my life to look like this time next year.

Sweet & Lovely Sunset

2011-12-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

I have a thing for taking photos of sunsets. The camera will never catch the colours right, but even if I capture a shadow of what the reality was, the moment will live on in my memory.

These three photos were taken on our big road trip this summer. The one in top right was taken in Ontario, and the other two are Alberta/Saskatchewan.

Here's a little Copic Doodle for you, but you won't find it on any TM Printable. I created this one especially for this layout. I love my Copics for adding a title in just the right colour, and just the right font...in this case, my own handwriting!!

And I was also really keen on getting my grubby hands on the new burlap and canvas shapes that came in to TM a couple of weeks ago. Canvas Corp is a new company for us, and it's quickly becoming a favourite.

It's in the details...

Burlap panel (Canvas Corp)

Sweet & Lovely cloud (Sassafras/Sunshine Broadcast)

Paper Flowers: Top (Sassafras/Sunshine Broadcast) & Bottom (Crate Paper/Random Vintage)

Map paper (American Crafts/Amy Tangerine)

Blue paper strips & the background (Crate Paper/Random Graphic)

"Ray of Sunshine" (Studio Calico/Countryside)

November Book List

2011-11-30T08:00:00.000-07:00

Outer Dark by Cormac McCarthy - published in 1968
World Made by Hand by James Howard Kunstler

Recommended: Kunstler's book, World Made by Hand. This one is considered "dystopian", but not nearly as depressing or violent as others I have read in the genre. It follows a group of people who have survived the destruction of the US as we know it. Nuclear war and a number of pandemics have destroyed most of the country's population, and there is pretty much no technology or political groundwork left. What is left of the population is thrown back to "old-timey times" and must fend for themselves, using what they can salvage and what they can grow or make themselves. This book was pretty good, but not great. I've got the sequel on my Christmas list, and I would like to read some of his non-fiction, which seems to be better-received.

Not recommended: I still haven't finished Exodus. I just couldn't get into it. Every time he introduced a new character he had to fill in their entire back story, sometimes going back decades and covering a dozen or so pages per character! I kept forgetting what the main storyline was about because of all these "tangents". Cormac McCarthy is considered an amazing author, and I can totally see it! His writing is poetic and so descriptive, but this story kind of didn't interest me. I'm still not quite sure how it ended.

Next month: Maybe I'll get some good titles for Christmas, or at least some gift cards so I can pick my own!

Hello Son

2011-11-29T08:00:00.000-07:00

I made this layout awhile back, when TM was having a big sale...but I never finished it. And then I moved some stuff around in my room and it found its way to the bottom of a tall pile. I cleaned up that pile, and low and behold, like the archaeologist I was trained to be, I found a great treasure!

I haven't added the journaling yet, but I know what I want to write. It's a little too personal to be on display at the store though, so that will have to wait.

I wanted to experiment with shapes and layers. I haven't cut my photos in to shapes in many (many) years, but this felt okay. I was so hesitant to lose the backgrounds at first, but I think his face tells the story in each photo and that is what I wanted to focus on. The feet picture is just an added bonus! HA!

Need some extra details?

Heart and "XO" (Treasured Memories/Celebrate Boy printable)

Hello flower (American Crafts/Garden Cafe)

Letters (American Crafts/Amy Tangerine)

Falling Leaves stamps (Stampers Anonymous)

Paper: brown woodgrain (American Crafts/Campy Trails), gold woodgrain (Hambly), blocks (Studio Calico/State Fair), mulit-coloured (Kaiser Craft)

Instant Flair

2011-11-28T08:00:00.000-07:00

Have you bought yours yet? This is the first layout I've made using some of my "private stash", but it for sure won't be my last!

These are pictures from the wedding Russel was in back in September. Doesn't he look hot?? No, seriously, it was unseasonably warm out that day...

I used three pieces of flair on this layout. Each package comes with six coordinating pieces. Each is embellished with an assortment of bling, butterflies and buttons.

I added some machine-stitching, a couple of small Amy Tangerine leaves and one large ivory skeleton leaf. The "handsome" title piece was handwritten by me...backwards. I draw backwards on the "wrong side" of the paper, then cut around the letters. Pretty good, eh?

Happy Monday!

Winner!

2011-11-24T13:52:00.001-07:00

Did you think I forgot? Cause I sort of did! I have really been feeling the start of this cold, mostly in terms of feeling really run down and exhausted all the time. So I have been negligent in my blogging "duties" these past couple of days.

So without further adieu, the winner of the 52 Books contest is: Katherine!

Please drop me a line with your address and I'll get that book to you!

In other news...I'm off to alter some clothes so they are beach-ready. It feels good to be taking in seams instead of letting them out!! Although, I did put on a skirt the other day that fits me really well only to sit down in the car and rip the entire back seam apart!! Ack!! I had to drive home like a maniac so I could change in time for my hair appointment. That would have been embarrassing. I'm chalking that one up to shoddy workmanship and in no way related to my JLo bootie! Or is that "booty"?

I finished the last of these album kits and delivered them to TM this afternoon, so they are officially on sale now! I'm already planning (and purchasing for) the next one, and while I definitely won't have it finished before I leave on Sunday I've got high hopes for it being in store before Christmas!!

love ya...

I'm at 50

2011-11-22T11:14:00.001-07:00

On Sunday night I finished reading my 50th book of the year! And next week I'll be sitting on a beach, so I'm sure to finish a couple more on my iPad.

Speaking of books, today is the deadline for my sweet giveaway. Check out this post for all the deets, and don't forget to leave a comment!!!

I am so cold today! My fingers are having problems obeying my brain's typing commands. Last night I went to bed at 7:30pm, woke up for about 1 minute while Russel was getting Lucas in the bath, then again for a little bit at 1:30am to turn the light off. And I was still tired when my alarm went off at 7am. I am so getting a cold...

No real post for today until later, and I still have album kits to finish and Mexico-packing to do. Did I mention that none of my shorts fit me...they are all too big!

This album kit...

2011-11-21T08:00:00.000-07:00

almost got the best of me! Whoa! Lots of instructions that later sounded like a broken record. Three handmade albums, sewn and assembled by me, that took way longer than they should have. Second guessing myself on little bitty things I included in the kit.

But I didn't have any printing issues with my instructions, double-sided and I. I ~~always~~ usually have printing issues. And I think the album is so beautiful...I love mini albums. I guess what I'm saying is that it was all worth it in the end, even if my back was sore and my brain fried. What else was I going to do on Friday? Go outside!?!?!

The photos are from our little family photo shoot we had back in October. The layouts are simple, classic and easily adaptable to any theme. Heck, even if you don't have any "Family Memories" you can use this album! Trust me!!

There are two pages missing from the collage above. Because: One) Apparently, I'm an idiot and didn't notice, and two) see point number one.

Get yours now! There are only three available...I'm hoping that maybe mini albums will catch on with the Edmonton crowd. They are, after all, totally fun and totally my cup of tea!

TM Instant Flair

2011-11-18T12:39:00.001-07:00

A new TM Exclusive! For sale now...they are super cute little dimensional stickers for all your papercrafting needs. Check out the little blurb I wrote about them:

Popularized by the movie Office Space, “flair” commonly refers to colourful buttons andbadges worn on your clothing to express your individual style and generalquirkiness. We want to help you show off your unique self with our “InstantFlair” sticker collections, specially designed to add a level of awesomeness toany layout, card, or altered project.

I'm still working on more colours and designs, and working out some kinks in the "handcrafting" process. But I'm actually really excited about these little guys! Who can say no to some sweet scrapbooking eye candy!?

Layouts and all that good stuff to come...today I'm prepping a class and doing up a kit for a sweet album I made. I guess more on that later as well!

Rule of Three - Turquoise

2011-11-18T08:00:00.000-07:00

This week I actually have a "Rule of Three" post for you! Wonder of wonders! I was going back through some folders, and found a bunch of photos that never made it in to a Fashion Un-Able post. While editing them, I noticed that I seemed to have a fondness in my heart that week for turquoise accessories...three different ones, I might add. Hmm...

"fashion" tip: stack your mismatched bracelets!

"fashion" tip: dress up a plain tee with a fancy scarf!

"fashion" tip: add a belt to a shift dress for a more pleasing shape!

And don't be afraid to mix neutrals!

"fashion" tip: matching your tights to your shoes makes for a longer, leaner leg! Or did I just make that up...hmmm...

There are no more visible leaves on the ground. We are into snow season, officially. I hate scraping my windshield in the morning, but I love listening to the snow crunch under my boots.

December Mini?

2011-11-17T13:47:00.000-07:00

Everyone in the know is getting started on their December Dailies. Ali Edwards knows a good thing when she sees it, hello! I have never been one to commit to a project that requires daily input, especially for 30 days...straight. Maybe this year...

Sources: Dear Lizzy, Marie's Shots, The Creative Place, 6 Degrees

And the queen herself...Ali Edwards

I did a mini for Lucas' advent calendar last year, and it wasn't such a hard thing. It helps to have the Instax, boy howdy. That way I don't have to remember to print photos, just take them, which is hard enough as it is. Remember this?

Nadine is such a trooper, helping the lost and wandering get a head start on their own daily album for the month! This class is always a popular one, and really, I can see why!

So much inspiration...
Bandwagon? Room for one more??

I've already committed to making a gender-neutral baby album for a shower I am going to in December, so what's one more album!?

Are there any other December Daily fans out there? Any tips for getting me started!?!?!

SMASH Book

2011-11-16T10:49:00.000-07:00

I am so in love with Dina's Smash Book...it's so pretty. Mine is so not pretty, but it does the job...

I have been trying to pull it out everyday this week, even if I just add one thing or another. TM ran a SMASH book contest a couple of weeks ago, and the participation was dismal to say the least. But it did inspire me!

I have also been trying to pull out my "art journal" everyday and add a little something. Julie Balzer is running a class right now on art journaling, showing her students how a little bit each day adds up to a great spread at the end of the week! I like the sound of that.

I'm using a small moleskin that I picked up from Anam at her leaving-Canada garage sale (I think). It is so not made for wet media (which I love to use heavily), so I am using a lighter hand with my inks and sprays. So far, it's looking just right!

I recently found some more inspiration to help me "art journal" every day. This 30 Days of Journaling post by Vivianna is pretty sweet, and will be good on those days I have writer's block. And Kelli is working on 52 lists, which I think would also be a neat thing to add to my art journals.

I really need to keep this as low key, and commitment free as possible. As is generally known, as soon as I say "I'm going to do this", it never ever happens! Self-defeating prophecy, if you ask me. So I am putting it out to the Universe that these are just loose aspirations and in no way form a commitment or a goal to be met! M'kay?

Also, I must say that sharing photos through my Instagram app is pretty sweet! I ran around the house searching for my camera this morning to take these photos, only to realize I left at work on Monday...duh. So I had to "resort" to using my iPad. The resolution is surprisingly awesome, and I can email them directly to myself. Yay!

Any SMASH artists out there? Art journalers?

What keeps you motivated to create a little everyday??

I want vs. I need

2011-11-15T08:00:00.000-07:00

I have been trying so hard to use some of my "old" scrapbooking supplies lately. This is difficult when I am creating layouts and projects for TM, as we would prefer to display *new and, more importantly "in-stock" items!! HA! Even I do not have an unlimited scrapbooking budget to dip into every month. It's hard when the new lines come into the store, but at least I know I have my heavenly staff discount to make it hurt a little less.

This does not help when I start browsing online, finding all the new goodies that we aren't getting in the store. There is usually a lot of drooling, and talking myself out of hitting buy BUY BUY!!

This time, it was really really hard!

See what I mean...
*new Jenni Bowlin

I lurve Jenni Bowlin stuff so much, it kind of hurts my head. And I never like Christmas lines, but I love her Christmas line this year. Very "traditional" looking.

And we can't forget the *new American Crafts

Their Chap line is so cute! And just perfect for the little dude in your life. All of the papers have boy's names, and there is even a Jacob! Thankfully, most of it is SOLD OUT over at Two Peas, so my temptation is tempered.

So instead of fixating on all these new goodies hitting the scrapping world, I am busy searching through my old papers and embellishments, looking for the "perfect" thing!

And it feels okay! Maybe I'll make a dent in my stash...don't hold your breath!!

Hey Scrapbookers! Are there any new products lines getting your motor running?

Dress Me New

2011-11-14T14:00:00.000-07:00

The other day I was returning a Justin Bieber fan book to Zellers (please don't ask...) and I got sidetracked by the lovely Alfred Sung clothing on my way to customer service. I still remember the days when Zellers had nothing but thirft-store reject, poly-blend garbage.

But this stuff was nice! And all Zellers-priced! I might have to make a stop over there when I come into that money I haven't been expecting...cause right now, Zellers-priced is still too much of a commitment for Lisa! HA!

So I will have to continue living the thrifting life, and getting the most out of my current closet.

Oh, and rockin' my new boots...

This photo inspired me to pull out this outfit and wear it to work today! Yay! Fashion posts aren't ridiculous and can be useful!! Now, if I don't get going soon (it's 9:10 when I'm at), I'm going to be late, so...later.

p.s. There is snow on the ground now. This photo was taken in October, and we finally had our first snow of the season on the weekend. It was strange to wake up to the sound of a shovel. And Mr. Lucas, who has been talking about snow non-stop for a week, told us that he never wants to leave the house when there is snow outside...oh dear.

read to me

2011-11-14T08:00:00.000-07:00

While we were in the states (in Minneapolis to be exact) we used up a rainy morning at a local Container Store. I lurve this store...but it can be overwhelming. Russ bought more than me, that's how overwhelmed I was!

But I did pick up a set of russell & hazel rubberbands to use on my Smash book and my planner at home. I love these things! They also have some amazing notebooks and planners, with a tonne of page options! A bit on the pricey side, but very customizable, and kind of totally awesome!

And I was excited to see that Two Peas carries russell & hazel stuff! Yay! Not that I am going to be buying any of it any time soon, but it still makes me a happy camper to know it's at least possible with nominal shipping costs! Maybe I should add it to my Xmas list...hmmm...

Want to see some more overwhelming book-related things? Then check out this post from Polka Dot Robot: Love for Libraries. Wowee wow wow! Would it be weird to plan a vacation around the best libraries in the world? I'd have to take just the right person with me on that trip! Note...it probably wouldn't be Russel!! Sorry hun!

Speaking of Libraries, here's a memory for you.

I have always loved books and libraries. Mom used to take us to the one in the basement of Southgate mall and we would wander through the kid's section and pick out whatever we wanted. That was a special library. Later, I started going there for fun, taking out books about fairies and mythology, making notes and pouring over indexes so I could stock up on new books when the old ones were due back.

Going to University was like heaven for me...they have a tonne of libraries! I remember the first time I was in the Rutherford Library, which is the "arts" library on campus. Half of the building is a "new" build, and the other half is historical and they are joined by an atrium right smack dab in the middle. I always loved that you could stand inside and look at the old outside of the building!

source

I remember making my way up to the fourth floor or something, on the "new" side and when I got out of the stairwell and into the stacks I just stopped. There were so many books. I couldn't get over it! Row upon row of books. I got a little light-headed!!

And in the "old" library, on the second floor, there is a big study hall that is lined with bookshelves. It is so quiet in that huge room, and packed full during exams!

In the basement of old Rutherford is all the super old books. The roof is only two feet above my heads, and the stacks are super close together. The lighting was so sub-par and a little spooky. That was a special place to be. I bet a lot of makeout sessions took place in the back corners...not that I would be involved with any of that!

Later in my time there, I even loved going to the medical library to find out info about syphilils and other strange medical and forensic anthropology topics. It was a nice, bright library, but it's photocopiers always hated me.

I have a friend who now works at Cameron Library on campus. I am so jealous...

Is that enough chatting for you today?!?!

Are there any places in this world that fill you with breath-taking wonder?

DON'T FORGET to enter my giveaway! Read this post...52 Books

Webster's Pages...for TM

2011-11-10T08:00:00.000-07:00

I had forgotten about this layout! I started it ages ago, then forget to print the photo. So I put it aside on my table, and it got moved, and shuffled and stored, and not lost (miracle). Well, I finally printed the photos for it last week, and finally finished this bad boy.

This was my "challenge" product last month, so these layouts will start showing up on the TM Inspiration blog soon. Webster's Pages isn't your typical-Lisa fare, but it was fun playing with something different, something that I might not have picked for myself.

For all your Webster's Pages needs, check out this link. I used the "All About Me" line on this page.

11-11-11...it's coming

2011-11-09T08:00:00.000-07:00

This same cool-numbered day last year was commemorated in a terrible video, a cute mini book, and some fun giveaways. I was feeling very melancholy, and nostalgic and it showed.

This year, much will be the same. Hopefully less melodrama, and more excitement!

It falls on Remembrance Day this year, so I'm sure I will be reflecting on the things I am most grateful for, and things that I don't take for granted because life is too short.

a look back...to last year...10-10-10

I wrote (a lot) about the day while sitting on a picnic table behind my housing complex. This is my go-to picnic table when I need a moment. It's also where the neighbourhood hooligans go with their pot and beer, so it's a little skuzzy most of the time, but oh well!

I took some photos. I didn't do my hair or make up. I was wearing a lot of grey. I felt okay.
*****

This year...I am working on a little gratitude journal to celebrate this fun day! We'll see how that goes...I haven't actually put much thought into it and am just now remembering that I wanted to do this. HA!

*updated: I finished most of it last night. It's already mostly decorated, but I have left space (and pockets) for photos and journaling. I'm hoping Russ will be home that day so we can do some fun family things!

Page One: I am grateful for all my blog readers!

P.S. Have you entered the giveaway yet?? Check out this post, and leave a comment! It kind of got lost in the "Lisa went crazy with posts" moment I had the other day...oops! The deadline to enter is midnight on November 22nd! M'kay. That gives you lots of time, and I'll be sure to give you lots of reminders too!

More Grey, Blue & Green

2011-11-08T12:30:00.000-07:00

And more Jasper photos! Two of my favourite things right now aka a couple of weeks ago! I like to spread out these kind of blog posts...I think I made these layouts at that crop back in October!

This is a simple 6x11 layout. I am loving the navy, yellow and taupe combo here! The background was misted with Mister Huey over a Pink Paislee mask. I even snuck a little Sassafras sticker in there. Now that I know they aren't manufacturing scrapbook supplies anymore I am being more protective of my stash! HA! Movember reference!!

I sort of had a major FAIL using the cloud Crafter's Workshop stencils on this next layout. The blue Distress Ink just did not stand out against the Studio Calico pattern. I tried to add some polka dots to one of the clouds but I was still not impressed. So I just gave up and called it a day!

I used up some "old" supplies, and some of that wonky canvas ribbon from Webster's Pages. I was a skeptic of this stuff when I first saw it, but it's actually kind of neat to work with. You can ink it and fray it and generally abuse it in a decidedly crafty fashion and it can take it all!!

What are your favourite colour combos right now, for crafting, decorating, etc??

Are you busy scrapbooking one event, or random bits from everyday life?

pretty little rumour

2011-11-08T12:00:00.000-07:00

there is a rumour floating through the Seibold family that we might be going to Portland for a reunion in 2013. I don't mind admitting that I am over-the-moon excited to have even the slightest chance to go back to the City of Roses. And in the summer, no less! Let's just take a trip down memory lane, to remind myself how awesome it was there...

I hope this goes through...and if not, maybe I can convince Russ & Amy + the boys to head down there with me and make it a mini family reunion! Convoy!!

p.s. Lucas has his first loose tooth! He's now worried that the Tooth Fairy won't find it in the little pouch on the door, so he is going to make a sign that says "my tooth is in the front pocket" and hang it on the door. Clever boy!

52 Books

2011-11-08T08:00:00.000-07:00

I was updating my 2011 Book-Learning page when I noticed that I am only four books away from reaching my goal for the year! If you can't remember what that was all about, I refer you to this post, which took me forever to find, mind you. I need to revamp this whole blog-thing!

Anyhoo...I was thinking I should celebrate this upcoming milestone with a giveaway! Hazzah!!

And so, I am giving away one of my favourite books and, cause I love y'all so much, a $10 Chapters gift card!

Leave a comment here with a little book recommendation of your very own and you could win!!

I have set myself up to probably finish early, but not super early! I am struggling through a long book with tiny font right now, and I might have to open up a re-read to get through this month!!

UPDATED: I realized long after the fact that I forgot to put a deadline on this! Let's say, midnight on November 22nd! M'kay. That gives you lots of time, and I'll be sure to give you lots of reminders too!

Halloween Scrapbooking

2011-11-07T12:30:00.000-07:00

Here are some more Halloween 2011 layouts. I have yet to scrap the photos I took of Lucas in his costume, and then those will be the last I think.

These are my "Trick or Treating" buddies. Lucas isn't really keen on going door-to-door for too long, so this year, like last, I ran back out and caught up with these two and their "escorts." Damien came up with this costume idea all on his own. Kudos to Mom for getting it all at thrift!

Nothing fancy going on here. I'm using mostly *old supplies! I keep my Halloween supplies separate for easy scrapping when the season comes. So I dug through those supplies and added some new doodles and brads for good measure. See how versatile my "Copic Doodle Printables" are!?!?

And Kirsten's Halloween party, the Saturday before Halloween.

My fragmented flower stencil idea was sort of failing before it got started up there, but I think I made it work by outlining the edges and filing in some extra blue with my Copics & lone Letraset marker. It looks all spider web-y now! Also, I was kind of in rub on heaven that night...Studio Calico stars and multiple Hambly made it on there. What do you think?

And for fun, here are links to my layouts from last Halloween!
Lucas & Mom go Trick Or Treating
His Kindergarten class & Decorating the front step

PS. Some supply list links, if you're interested. These are all for the second layout pictured.

Hambly Family Portrait Rub Ons (black)

Hambly Photographs rub ons (teal)

Crafter's Workshop Balzer Designs small Fragmented Flower stencil

Mists used: Mister Huey Warm Calico, Tattered Angels Bubbles & Caribbean Blue

The banner from Regal Crest die

To Remember...

2011-11-04T10:07:00.000-06:00

Lucas loves asking me simple addition problems. "What's 100 plus 8?" or "what's 1000 plus 8?". He knows most of the answers from 1 to 10 himself.

He thinks those Franks Red Hot commercials are funny, and every once in awhile I'll hear him say: "I put that on everything!" He doesn't understand the bleep of the missing swear word yet! He does this for a couple of songs we hear on the radio as well.

He's started up on a knock-knock joke phase...again. And he's makes up his very own. His knock-knock jokes don't actually make any sense, but they are still funny!

More often than not, he still climbs into bed with us first thing in the morning before heading downstairs. Sometimes he'll ask me a simple math questions (like this morning), but usually he asks how I slept, and what was my favourite thing from yesterday. That's something I use to ask him a lot before he went to bed, his favourite thing that happened that day.

This morning he was excited about his spelling test today, but wanted to practice the words again as we were headed out the door. This week it's: me, my, I as, on, with bonus words of November, pencil & Thursday. He was very excited about getting 100% again!

*****

This is the month to Remember. Yesterday, Lucas asked me why they get a PD Day on November 11th. I tried my best to explain that it was to give people time to remember and be thankful for those who came before us. We take the day off to be respectful of the sacrifices that were made, and the times now lost to history. My Grandma once told me that when she was little, Remembrance Day was not only about celebrating military heroes and veterans, and remembering great wars. It was for visiting family, both dead and alive. For celebrating our relatives that had passed on, visiting their gravesides, and maintaining their plots. Kind of like a North American "Day of the Dead", but ~~probably~~ without the sweet costumes and parades! I like this grandma-historical view of things! I'm not sure if she was referring just to her small corner of the world, but it's still a good idea. I think Lucas is still too young to appreciate a lot of what Remembrance Day signifies, but I also think that he appreciates what it means to have a wonderful family, and maybe I'll just have to push the Grandma-Historical view of things until he's older!

In honour of Remembrance Day, and because I was going back through my Blog Archives yesterday, I want to share some old memories and layouts with you this month.

Starting with 2006.

From the top:
Everyday. April 26, 2006, Lucas is 8 months. I still remember this day. Lucas wasn't yet crawling, but he was very mobile. He would roll around the living room floor until he got close enough to the X-Box and stereo, so he could push the buttons and make the tape deck (wow!) open. Then he would roll around to the couch, or over to his toys, and then back to the stereo. This layout makes me happy because of the multiple-word title, the writing on the photos, and the circle cluster on the left side there. I took so many photos that day, and was happy to get a lot of the best on this layout.

Lucky. April 2006. I still think he is super lucky to have great-grandparents in his life! Grannie still loves to play with him, and read with him. She used to "babysit" him when I worked or when I needed a "day off", or just when she wanted to see him and I didn't have anything planned! An early example of me using a "found object" on my layout: the cardboard bracket.

Grannie's Piano. April 2006. The piano now lives at Grandma Arlene's house, and Jacob is the one banging on it! I love this layout! So colourful, and I still consider that title to be a work of genius!

Is There Something on my Face? April 2006. Lucas is still a messy eater, but not this messy! He loved to get right into the food dish and try to help me feed him. I had to "disguise" the carrots with chicken, and while it looks like he was feeding himself, none of the food on his hands made it into his mouth! Layout-wise: Heidi Swapp ghost frame, and that amazing Scenic Route paper. Oh, and a lid from a jar of baby food! Nuff said.

Pizza Pizza. Fall 2006? Lucas is at least 1 year. Fast forward from the layout above, Lucas is walking and talking and feeding himself. This includes sneaking the pineapple off the leftover pizza in the fridge! Sneaky!!

B is for Bath. Flashback again to April 2006. Lucas loved bath time so much when he was a baby. He did this funny frogger-thing to push himself backwards and forwards in the tub. I remember he always talked and laughed a lot in the tub, and "swam" so much he would splash most of the small amount of water right out the sides!

One Plus One. I love these pictures of Lucas. He seemed so small against the large playground equipment. This was back when he loved balls of any size. He would throw the ball up a slide and watch it roll back down. He also really loved the feel of the sand on his hands, and would push them into a pile and then slowly let the sand fall off his fingers.

*****

That's all for now, peeps. These layouts may be dated now, but I still remember the feeling of accomplishment and excitement when I finished each one of them. They capture those moments so perfectly, and so clearly that I can still remember when those photos were taken and why.

Isn't it fun to take a stroll down memory lane, and wander through our old albums?

Casual Friday

2011-11-04T08:30:00.000-06:00

And yes, I do wear socks with my rolled-up pants. I am a nerd at heart, people. A giant, dorky nerd.

This is what I wear out of the house when I am running errands, i.e getting groceries and stopping at TM. Who am I kidding!? I don't gots no life!

I did manage to get a lot done that Friday. This was in the midst of my Dining Room Art Wall Re-Do. I also finished painting that ladder at my feet, and hung it up in my bedroom! That had been on my project list for a long time.

This week was also very productive. I am finally feeling some creative juices flowing, and some energy returning.

Heck, I even cleaned the bathtub. I figure, when you can't remember the last time you cleaned the bathtub, it's time!

Maybe I'll dust today! HA!

Mail Art...better super late than never!?!?

2011-11-03T14:30:00.000-06:00

Oh my goodness. Talk about losing track of my brain for a month there! I missed Ginger's Mail Art Exchange deadline...by two weeks! I have no one to blame but myself, and I do that just fine thanks! But Alexa's mail got out eventually and I will admit that I had fun making her little envelope and card, even if I rushed right through it so I could get it in the mail as soon as humanly possible (which was the next day, cause I was taking a mental health day, which means not leaving the house unless absolutely necessary)

I used mostly things sitting on my craft table, left out from other projects...all things that I lurve. The envelope is a re-purposed one, of course, and I used a sweet paint chip as the base for my card! Other than that, it sort of shows you the colours I have been jonesing on the last little bit...green + grey.

I heart fun mail...I should really start sending it again, like for reals.

I also received a super sweet notebook from Mel, which I posted about last week! LOVE IT!!
Thanks again!!

Halloween and a Challenge!

2011-11-03T10:18:00.000-06:00

I was printing photos like crazy yesterday! I finished a couple of pages I started the night before, and even started in on my Halloween photos! When I read the Creative Type challenge for this month, I thought I would put a little funny twist on it, and scrapbook a photo of Russ & I in our costumes!

Creative Type Challenge: Finish the phrase: "The best advice I ever received..."

My journaling reads: "The best advice I ever received is to marry someone that really "gets me." Someone I have lots in common with. Flo, meet Patient Zero."

It's a joke...get it?

Though, I honestly did get this advice...from my Dad!

Russ never gets this "into" Halloween. He made a big deal out of going shopping for his costume, and was super excited when he picked out this Zombie getup at VV. He even wore makeup! Maybe I'm finally rubbing off on him. I'll have to start working harder on Lucas!

Here are some of the TM Girls at Kirsten's party! We all looked very fabulous! My costume was a bigger hit than I thought it would be. I even got a high-five from a fat, cross-dressing cheerleader. Yay?

More Halloween pics to come! I got some terrible ones of Lucas before we hit the town!

Layout deets

Pattern paper: American Crafts Midnight Moon & Nightcrawler, Studio Calico Betsy & Midway

Big letters are all American Crafts Thickers. Small ones are Glitz Design.

Banner & Yellow Heart are from TM Exclusive Celebrate Boy printable

Brad is American Crafts, "Gimme!" sticker is super old Making Memories

TM DT aka "Shameless Plug"

2011-11-02T12:00:00.000-06:00

I am shamelessly plugging the SALE at TM again! Can you blame me? That store is my bread and butter! On the following layouts I'm using American Crafts & Prima (30% off), and Hambly & Sizzix (40% off!!)

Can you believe there is no inking on this page!?! I swear I made it, I swear!! I think the colours and the grid work really well, and I am in love with all that new American Crafts!! I don't think I have been this in love with any of their lines in a long time!!

Nightfall, Amy Tangerine, Garden Cafe

Hambly...ah sweet Hambly. How I love your iridescent backgrounds, vibrant colours and quirky patterns. We were made for each other!

There is a little bit of inking on this layout...can you guess where? I sprayed my doilies with Glimmer Mist (Crushed Shells & Iridescent Gold). I think Doilies are my new go-to inexpensive scrap supply. Thanks to Jill for putting me on to this!

I also love fussy cutting right now. It's kind of ridiculous!! I even fussy cut my words!! I'll be the first to admit that I used to hate fussy cutting, and I often "made fun of" Jill for doing it on layout after layout. Look who's putting her foot in her mouth now!

I hope Chantel is moving a lot of product this week, so we have space for all the new goodies coming in!! YAY!! For the specific SALE discounts and brands, check out this TM Blog post I did up!

Note: the sale doesn't apply to our online stock, BUT you can take advantage of FREE SHIPPING with orders over $75 right now!

So, I found this photo...

2011-11-02T10:53:00.000-06:00

...hiding in amongst the bits & bobs on my uber-cluttered desk, and I was in the zone, so I scrapbooked it up!

Three things to notice about this page:
#1. Look at how short my hair was! And crooked! LOVE IT!!
#2. Yellow + turquoise + grey = unconscious shoutout to my friend Juli!!
#3. Who says you have to scrapbook in chronological order? This pic was taken in August, but I just finished scrapping my Jasper trip in October!

On a side note - and mostly as props to Chantel & TM - I want to point out the most awesome American Crafts rosettes and Basic Grey Lace paper on this layout...both items being ON SALE this week at TM!! Chantel is having a BLOW YOUR MIND SALE in the store: 30% - 70% off selected brands, with pretty much everything else at 20% off! I picked up some sweet Stamper's Anonymous leaf stamps for 50% off!

I've got a couple of layouts making their way to Facebook today that feature some other SALE products. Won't you be our friend??

That is all...Happy Wednesday!!

Dining Room Re-Do

2011-11-01T16:51:00.001-06:00

I was getting kind of tired of the art wall on my Green DR wall. I mean, how many art walls can one main floor have? So I gave the green a refresher, got rid of the treasure-map inspired paint, and pulled out my collection of vintage wooden frames.

Before...

After...

All of the frames, cake pans, and the giant "silverware" are thrifted! I have been saving these guys for what seems like forever, for just the right project. When I was a Goodwill a month ago, I found a stack of metal cake pans that were the most fabulous colours! I went back the next day and bought them, and the whole design formed in my head as I was driving home!

I might add some pretty paper or fabric to the frames, but for now I really like the simplicity of it! Plus, it's vintage & quirky, which I guess makes it "kitschy", which I am totally okay with!

October Book List

2011-10-31T08:30:00.000-06:00

Robopocalypse by Daniel H. Wilson (Kindle app)
The Secret Life by (Kindle app)
Fly Away Home by Jennifer Weiner (paperback-gift from Amy!!)

Recommended: I had such high hopes for Robopocalypse. The sample I downloaded from Amazon was awesome! The premise of the story is right up my alley: a computer mind takes over the world and begins exterminating humans! Wow! But a lot of it got bogged down in tech and military jargon, and the big confrontation at the end was just quiet. But it was still a cool book. Steven Spielberg is making a movie based on it in the next couple of years. I'm interested to see who they cast, as there was an amazing racial/ethnic diversity in the book.

Jennifer Weiner is still one of my favourite authors. She writes good characters, and a nice emotional story. This was another nice book from her.

Not recommended: None. The Secret Life is a fairly simple "romance" - which I'm not totally in to - but it was still okay.

Re-Read: None this month. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein has been sitting beside my bed for weeks now, but I haven't made it much past the first chapter or so.

I definitely fell behind this month. I've been so busy with other things, that I just haven't had the energy to do any reading.

Until Next Month...

p.s. HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

today I...

2011-10-27T13:51:00.001-06:00

- Started the massive task of cleaning up my Studio. I had to move everything over to one side so we could have the furnace and ducts cleaned on Wednesday. I figure that before I put everything back to how it was, I might try and tackle some of the random clutter that has taken over my space!

- Received some Fun Mail from the UK! Thanks to Ginger for organizing this exchange again.

- Went on a lunch date with my husband to Mucho Burrito!

- Am getting ready to go assist at a Worm Bin Presentation at Lucas' school (not in his class though!)

- Finalized my Halloween costume, and found 90% of what I needed for it at Value Village! Here's a tip: always pull the wig out of the bag before you buy it!! Does this look like a cute 50s Flip with Bangs to you!?!?!

p.s. Jill, that Power Pout is for you!!

TM Fancy Labels

2011-10-27T08:30:00.000-06:00

Here is my "project example" to accompany the Fancy Labels TM printable. I like how this page turned out...lots of "primary colours" but the tone is muted, so they are not in your face and super bright. At the end of the post I have a list of other products used, and some tips to get the most out of your new TM Printables!

I love versatility of these Fancy Labels! I've used one as a backdrop for my title, another for a bit of "journaling" and the third as an additional embellishment in a little cluster at the top of the page.

Remember, you can print these puppies off as much as you like! I print them directly on to my photo paper (I use Matte by Canon, or Staples) as a full page. Once I use them all up, I print them again! Your colours may vary depending on the paper and ink you are using. When my ink is almost done, they come out a lot lighter, and the outline looks more brown than black, which is actually still kind of cool!

I have another brilliant idea for these guys that I hope to have on the blog in the next week or so...I'll also be posting the layouts I made using the Celebrate Boy printables. You get access to these layouts when you purchase the file, but showing them off on the blog is a little incentive to purchase!! I'm hoping to make you so envious of them, that you have to log on and buy a couple! And the price is right...

Layout Details:
- Pattern paper is Crate Random Modern, Farmhouse Apple Pie & Sunday Dinner
- Authentique Splendid Diction Stickers
- Imaginisce Geek is Chic cardstock pieces
- Sticker letters are Authentique Glowing Petite Type Squares and old Heidi Swapp
- Date label is My Mind's Eye Lost & Found 2 Sunshine Forever Label Stickers
- Cabouchon is from Prima Marketing
- The tag is Grungepaper cut with a Tim Holtz by Sizzix die then inked with Wild Honey and Vintage Photo Distress Stain
- I also used the File Tabs On The Edge die on the polka dot paper
- 7Gypsies Decorative Tape & old Colorbok "fortune"

Halloween Projects

2011-10-26T09:47:00.000-06:00

I [heart] Halloween so much. This year I have been far too busy to really get into the holiday spirit as much as I would have liked. But I have managed to complete a couple of Halloween-themed craft projects for the store...sort of...they are mostly for me, but I wanted to share them with our customers so they could see the versatility of my favourite Halloween line...this year!

Featuring...Nightfall by American Crafts!

A 12x12 layout you say!?!? I know...I never do these. But I really wanted to play with the new Chalkboard paper, and it doesn't really work for my usual 8.5 x 11 layouts. I fussy cut a bunch of clouds and ghosts, and "popped" some of them up for a little extra dimension...extra to those fabulous paper "flowers"!

The banner is made out of my *new Celebrate Boy printable (available in the TM Online Store), and some extra bits of pattern paper. I love how the twine strung along the top ties it all together...and the bling in the flower is the perfect sparkly addition!

For the layout supply list, check out the TM Blog.

*****

Next up, is a little mini I made for some old Halloween photos and memories. The backbone of the album is four envelopes I folded and stitched together (with my sewing machine). This is my go-to mini album binding technique!

Have a look inside...

It's really really basic, but I wanted to keep it simple and quick, with lots of space to write and add small photos later. I used a lot of the "leftovers" from the layout, with some random bits and bobs thrown in for good measure.

Mini Album: Full Supply List

TM Exclusive: Celebrate Boy printable

American Crafts Nightfall Paper: Fall Fun, Fall Foliage, Midnight Moon, Night Crawler

Chalkboard Paper: Night Sky

Spells Delights flowers

Amy Tangerine: Is It Any Wonder fabric paper, Stars Stipes & Stitches paper

Letters: American Crafts Thickers, My Mind's Eye (brown circles), My Little Shoebox (turquoise)

Authentique Splendid Diction stickers, Studio Calico star rub-ons

Entertainment SMASH Pad

That is all peeps. For those of you making your way over from the TM Blog...Welcome! and Hello!! I hope you enjoyed the trip...you're welcome back anytime!

Jasper Layouts

2011-10-25T08:30:00.000-06:00

A couple of weeks ago, I finished a bunch of layouts using photos I took while the Fam was in Jasper.

Things I've learned through this:

#1. That photography course was hugely helpful!

#2. I'm loving blue, green and grey together right now (like, a lot!)

#3. I love Late Night Crops!

I didn't want to bombard you with all of them at once, so I posted some last week, and am posting some now! I had a wonderful time with Jill, Joyce and Jaclyn at the TM Crop a couple of weeks back. I can't wait until Mom has some extra time and we can go together!

Angel...a photo of Angel Glacier at Mt. Edith Cavell. This page is a super simple one for me...I love all the angles mixed with those sweet doilies and plaid fabric.

Deets: paper/Studio Calico, doilies/Maya Road, fabric/Bo Bunny, words/Authentique, sticker letters/Sassafras.

This next one was my challenge to use that amazing Henna Hands stencil by Julie Balzer. These are photos of some "hands-off souvenirs" in the park, hence my little quote/title: "the best Souvenir is the one you take home in your heart and not your hand."

Deets: paper/Studio Calico, labels/Studio Calico, ribbon/Webster's Pages, stencil/Balzer Designs for Crafter's Workshop Henna Hands & Ferns, letters/American Crafts

I convinced Russel to take a photo of the rest of us, during a little snack-pit stop as we wandered through Jasper. It's not the best picture, cause Jacob's not looking, but at least his mother is!!

deets: paper/Studio Calico, Bo Bunny, Jillibean Soup & Crate, paper flower/Sassafras, leather/Bo Bunny, cabochon/Prima, letters/Tim's Grungeboard (inked with Distress Stain) & Glitz Design, stencil/Balzer Designs for Crafter's Workshop Rain

I hope you enjoyed this latest installment of layouts from Jasper...there are more to come!!

Hey Scrappers! What photos are you working on right now??

Off on a New Adventure...

2011-10-24T08:30:00.000-06:00

Awhile back, Chan asked me about using some of my unique talents to create some new products for the online TM Store. I said, "um...sure!?" and was off! I already had some ideas and had started working on some things for myself that were easy enough to turn into items for the store.

And so Doodle Sheets Printables were born! I think Doodle Sheets is a totally lame name for them, but it is how I've been referring to them for the past month or so, and now it's stuck. We've called them "Downloadables" in the online store, which is equally lame, I think...but...I never was good at naming things!

Right now there are FOUR Doodle Sheets available to purchase from the store, with more on the way! I've finished "Celebrate Boy", "Celebrate Girl", "Fancy Labels", and "He Said". I've got three more in the works, to be finished in the next week or so. The sky is the limit with these guys, and once I get some more Copic colours in my repertoire - and refill the ones I have - I'll have some more styles and colours to offer!

For now, here are some sneaks of the layouts I made using the "Celebrate Boy" and "He Said" printables.

They are ON SALE NOW! Just head over to Treasured Memories Online and pick up one or more for yourself!

I'll have more than just sneak peeks in the next couple of days, so check back!!

Please note that these are a hybrid product, made for printing. You receive a file and print the images from there before cutting them out and using them on your paper crafting projects!

today I am...

2011-10-23T15:01:00.001-06:00

- being the Voice of TM over on Facebook...so far I haven't had much to say

- recovering from slamming the overhead door of my tyrunk into the top of my head...spelling is very diffuicult...and my head feels very large...what are the first signs of brain damage?

- working on a sweet project for TM (see photo)

- excited that my printables are for sale! I'll have a proper post about them tomorrow.

- catching up on Google Reader

- requiring more coffee than is humanly recommended

that is all...
love lisa

COLOUR!!

2011-10-21T08:30:00.000-06:00

I've been going a little crazy in the fashion department lately, mixing colours and patterns that should probably never be seen together! HA! But it's all in good fun, and I never did take myself - or my clothes - too seriously. Let's see what you think...

Plaid + Stripes...and Sandals with Tights...so many fashion "faux pas"!!

This is mostly a thrifted outfit: skirt, belt, tee. The tights are Joe, and the shoes are my fave unknown shoe-store shoes!

This next one I have to share with you because I look like such a lollipop! My turquoise coat, my navy bag, my purple headphones and my pink tights! I actually got a complimentary look from some young Hipster Grant MacEwan student as he was walking to the LRT (and I was walking to my car)...and yes I'm sure it was complimentary and not condescending! I still gots it!!

Jacket is Atmosphere. Ward Air bag is antique mall. Headphones are UO. Skirt, belt and shoes are thrifted. Tee is Joe (maybe), and tights are maybe old Addition-Elle. Vintage rhinestone brooch (from my GG's stash). As you can tell, these "outfit deets" aren't meant to be helpful in any way, shape, or form! HA!

Okay, that's enough colour for one day...or one week!! Or one lifetime...but not mine! I have a bunch more outfits that I'm going to transform into a "Rule of Three" post next week. Bet you're just dying for that one!!

I spent some time in the Whyte Ave Value Village yesterday, and picked up some age-appropriate "blouses" - gosh what a word! - and some jeans. The costume-crazies are all a-crazy in there right now! I could barely move in the change room thanks to all the discarded robes and capes. But I made out like a bandit...again! I put it "out there" to the Universe that I was looking for a cropped sweater and some sweat vintage-looking blouses and I totally scored on both counts!! Yay me!

Things on the go today:

- Clean Studio (oh god...)

- Altered art for TM

- Finish some layouts (if I get the time)

- Paint DR wall

- Buy shelving brackets

Russ is playing poker with some work friends tonight, so the Dude & I have the house all to ourselves! I think we might have to make a DQ run...

Found! Geek

2011-10-20T12:23:00.001-06:00

I am a big fan of Doctor Who. Like, I would count this series (and it's "spin off" Torchwood) one of my most favourite tv series of all time!

So when I found this wiki site, I was beside myself!

Tardis Index

KC...this one is for you...Happy Birthday!!

A birthday layout!

2011-10-19T10:34:00.000-06:00

I made this guy months and months ago! Wow! The photo is from Jacob's first birthday back in May, and I love it! Don't we all look so happy?

I used a bunch of *new-at-the-time Echo Park, with some American Crafts letters & stickers, and that fabulous Pink Paislee Mistables canvas trim.

Here is a close-up of the trim. I coloured it with Distress Stain in Broken China, then stitched it on with the machine. This stuff is really cool, but you could totally make your own with some muslin from the fabric store and a well-placed die-cut!

I loved the sheet of little, colourful Polaroids, so I cut a bunch out and used them as the embellishment. It helps that there are so many colours in the photo...all the colours on the layout make sense! And all the blue stitching finishes everything off quite nicely, if I do say so myself. Also, I think that's the biggest piece of pattern paper I've used on a layout in a long time!

I'm at work almost everyday this week, plus I was busy meeting and creating at TM on Sunday, and I will be there again this Sunday for T.H.E. I am relying on scheduled blog posts for the time being, but might get a Rule of Three, or a Fashion Un-Able out there for some variety!! Wish me luck!

12 Days

2011-10-18T08:00:00.000-06:00

I was trying to come up with some display ideas for TM the other day, and I was getting really excited about doing a tag advent calendar. And then I remembered that there are usually 25 days in an advent calendar, and I really (really) wasn't keen on decorating 25 tags!

So this is the 12 Days of Xmas Advent Calendar!

Each tag is blank on the back, so I can add a photo and some journaling once Christmas comes. I'm also thinking that if I don't use it as an advent calendar, I can write down 12 wonderful memories from the month. There are lots of options here...I'm hoping!

So this will go up in the store, if you want to come see the tags in person...they are quite detailed and fabulous, if I do say so myself! I created all the backgrounds using a variety of inks with my Crafter's Workshop/Balzer Designs stencils. And I bought three more the other night to round out my collection. I keep all the small ones on a binder ring and can take them with me to crops without too much hassle! Wunderbar!

TM DT Layouts

2011-10-17T09:15:00.000-06:00

I actually love being on my one "design team"...the TM Team! There's no pressure to create, I can use what I want (within reason) and I only ever have one deadline a month! Yay!!

This month I was giving some of the *new Webster's Pages to play with, specifically from their "All About Me" line. I had run out of photo paper, so I didn't have any printed photos to use, but the rest of the girls were charging ahead and I just had to catch up! I pumped these layouts out in an afternoon so I could prove I'm still a contender...hey, they were teasing me...usually I'm the eager beaver who gets everything done the day after it's assigned! HA!

And would you look here...the first layout is the one I started in my Inking Techniques Vlog! Hazaah! These photos are from Athabasca Falls, in Jasper Park.

These next photos were taken on Whistlers Mountain. We took the Tram up, and enjoyed the view for a long time. Jacob liked all the rocks and snow, and Lucas loved jumping in and playing with the snow! It was a beautiful day.

These are from Mt. Edith Cavell and Angel Glacier. This is my favourite place in the world, and I love that I got to share it with my favourite people in the world! I love the photo at the bottom, with the heart-shaped rock and Russel's silhouette blurred in the background. I did add some journaling to those seemingly-random paper strips at the bottom!

I've got another one coming, but I forgot to print those photos with the other batch I did on Friday! I also finished a couple more layouts (with my new product) at the Late Night Crop...I'll post those soon!

Love Lisa

Ink it Up...a vlog!

2011-10-14T14:11:00.000-06:00

Here is a ridiculous technique VLOG, in which I show you how to make the background shown below using all manner of inks! Enjoy!!

The vlog is long...again...I guess I just like to hear myself talk! HA! But if you stick it out, I promise that I am much more organized than in the last vlog, and you actually might learn something! HA...again!

Inking Techniques from Lisa Kercher on Vimeo.

Supply List...my specifics are in italics
Super light glimmer mist, plus a darker one in a similar colour: Crushed Shells and Key Lime Pie
Alcohol ink in a contrasting colour: Rust
Colour wash: Lettuce and Pesto
Number or word stamp and Archival Ink: Coffee
A stencil/mask or two: Balzer Designs large Chevron
Paper bags, craft mat or tablecloth to protect your work surface (colour wash...)
White or ivory cardstock
Heat gun
Small cup of water or a spray bottle

Details on the workshop I mention in the video can be found here:
Inking Workshop Info: choose November 5th or 17th...see the post for more details
TM Classes Blog...Nadine has some awesome Xmas classes coming up!!

Giant Totos

2011-10-14T08:17:00.001-06:00

After we got home from Jasper on Monday afternoon I went into a weird cooking-mode. In other words, I made a mess on the stove and filled my recently-emptied sink with dirty pots & pans, muffin tins and a blender.

At one point I had every burner going, along with the oven! What the!? Who is this woman!?!?

I made dinner (turkey sauced spaghetti-it was only meh), muffins, soup, and a couple batches of tomato sauce.

For the tomato sauce I used my grandpa's tomatoes. I went over there Friday morning to help him pick the rest of his crop before the frost set in. They left on a month-long "gambling tour" on Saturday, so he wanted to pick them all so they wouldn't go to waste. Now, my grandpa is 80 and not in the best of health, but he can still get out there and garden like the young kids! He has probably a dozen tomato plants in his yard, and they were all full of tomatoes in varying stages of ripeness. And they are huge, let me tell you! Just check out the photo below. I used a CD to demonstrate the size of this badboy...and this isn't even the biggest one I got! There were about 5 green ones hanging off one plant that were all this size! I brought all of those home, and am hoping to get some "fried green tomatoes" cooking this week.

Did I mention I don't even like tomatoes? Like, to eat raw on their own (eeww!). But I love cooked tomatoes! I diced up all the big ones, stewed them in a small saucepan with some olive oil and garlic (I just throw the whole clove in), then blended them up. It makes a really watery sauce that I plan on adding to some tomato paste for pasta and pizza sauces. I froze two cups in a "medium" freezer baggie. If you lay the bag flat while it freezes, it takes up way less room in your freezer and is way easier to stack or "file" with other soups and sauces. This is a super easy food-DIY, which is kind of essential for me, as I am such an idiot with food...case in point...

"Funny" story: I went to pop all the cooked muffins from the tin and noticed that 2 or 3 of the ones in the middle of one tray were super burnt on the bottom. Weird, but nothing more. Then I grabbed a plastic storage container for them and set it down on the stove. The smell of burning plastic hit my nose right away and I rushed to pull it off the burner...which was still on! I must have knocked the knob when I was messing around with the soup on the opposite burner. That's why my middle muffins were burnt! I put the whole muffin tray on the stove, over top of that burner, to cool. I'm an idiot!!

I'm coming back this afternoon with a VLOG...excited!!

Can I just take a moment to say...

2011-10-13T11:39:00.002-06:00

Thank You! and What the Crack!?!?!

Yesterday I had 227 pageviews. 227!! Was somebody really bored at work? Did a bunch of people take "mental health days" which involved catching up on blogs? Is someone spamming me?

Those are the biggest stats I've ever seen, and today is already on track to match.

Whatever I'm doing, I must be doing it right...this week at least!

Later Peeps...and thanks again for making this a special place for me to come on a daily basis!!

Hello Sunshine!

2011-10-13T10:35:00.000-06:00

This is another "old" layout from July, and the photos are from camping in June.

Another Jacob-based layout...but can you blame me!? He took a liking to my super long headband and played with it while we were stuck inside because of the rain.

Layout Deets: There are lots of things happening on this layout. Lots of things...I'll just leave it at that!